Nature is amazingly inventive. In the world there are such representatives of the flora that you can’t grow in your garden or on the windowsill. These are predatory plants. They belong to carnivores, which means they feed on living flesh. Most often they grow on soil that does not contain any nutrients.

Carnivorous plants: species and their description

It is worth considering the most prominent representatives of the predatory family of flora:

  1. Sarracenia. It is an insectivorous plant native to North America and Texas. The stalk of the flower is a water lily that absorbs insects. The leaves are a funnel and rise above the plant. Due to this structure, rainwater does not get into the water lily, which means that the “gastric” juice is not diluted. The edge of the flower gives off a special smell and has a bright color that attracts insects. Thinking that this is nectar, they fly onto the slippery surface of sarracenia and fall into a trap. After that, insects are digested with a special enzyme.
  2. Darlingtonia. The plant is quite rare. His homeland is the south of North America, for which the flower was called California. Darlingtonia grows where there are water bodies, and its habitat is under water. It feeds on various river animals, insects and small crustaceans. The victim's plant catches not with leaves, but with a crab claw. This is an asymmetric process, which in its structure resembles a labyrinth. On the inside, the surface of the trap has a bright color, which leads to complete disorientation of the victim in space and the rapid death of the animal.
  3. Pemphigus. It grows in stagnant water or in moist soil, so it can be water and land.In total, there are 220 species of this plant. It grows on all continents, except for those where there is ice cover. The plant has no root system, so it receives all the nutrients from the eaten insects and small crustaceans. Bubbles act as a trap, which have a peculiar entrance that opens only when the pemphigus smells its prey. The bubbles themselves, like the leaves of the plant, are located under water, and only buds are on the surface. As soon as the flower smells the victim, its traps open and absorb the insect along with water, after which its digestion begins.
  4. Genlisey. You can meet her in Africa, South and Central America. Currently, 21 species of this carnivorous representative of the flora have been studied. Genlisea grows in a humid or underwater terrestrial environment and is a small grassy plant with a yellow flower that resembles a crab claw. Once in it, the insect cannot get out because of the multiple hairs that grow at the entrance to the inflorescence.
  5. Nepentes. Represents a hunting lily and belongs to tropical plants. Currently, scientists have studied 130 species of Nepentes, growing in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Madagascar, Seychelles, Australia, India, etc. Another name for Nepentes - a monkey cup - has taken root thanks to travelers who have repeatedly watched monkeys. drank water from this plant. The trap releases a sticky consistency liquid in which insects drown, after which they are eaten.

Interesting Facts

  1. When writing his famous short story, Blooming a Strange Orchid, Herbert Wales focused on the stories of travelers who came from distant lands. They talked about terrible cannibal plants that grow in tropical zones. As a result, they were never found, and modern plants predators are content with much more modest prey.
  2. Insectivorous plants became known in Europe in the 18th century. In 1769, the English naturalist John Ellis described the Venus flytrap plant, and he first put forward the assumption that insects disappearing on the flower serve as food for the flower.
  3. Rafflesia is a large flower that can reach significant sizes (in diameter up to 1 m) and weigh up to 10 kg. It has no roots, stems and branches. Flies constantly curl around the plant - in spite of its external beauty, the flower exudes a stench. Rafflesia is actively used in medicine, especially in its homeland (island of Java). It helps women recover from childbirth, and men increase potency.

The largest insectivorous plant

Nepentus Raja is considered the largest predatory plant whose diet includes various rats and lizards. The place of its growth is the island of Borneo or Kalimantan (southeast Asia). A flower refers to an endangered species.

You can meet him on Mount Kinabalu and the surrounding areas at altitudes from 1,500 to 2,650 meters. Nepentus Raja is very fastidious in growing, he needs a certain soil - loose and moist, through which groundwater can seep.

Predatory houseplants: list

Of the 600 species of predatory plants that exist in the world, only a few are cultivated.

At home, these varieties of plant predators are grown:

  1. Some types of nepenthes.
  2. Sundew. More often you can see in the house a royal, English and round-faced appearance.
  3. Zhiryanka.
  4. Sarracenia purpurea and its forms.
  5. Venus flytrap.
  6. Heliamphora.
  7. Water and pemphigus pemphigus (most often those varieties that can be rooted).
  8. Aldwand, which is grown in water.

Plant digestion mechanism

Each predatory plant has its own digestive mechanism, but most often small animals and insects are broken down by them using special enzymes. After this, the resulting nutrient slurry is absorbed.That is, nitrogen, which ordinary flora representatives get from the soil, plant predators get from a dead animal.

The organs of capture, as a rule, are the leaves. Their coating is sticky, with special hairs, the leaves can bend inward and form a kind of fist. In some species, the leaf resembles a water lily with a lid, falling into which the insect can no longer get out.

Caring for an insectivorous plant at home

  1. Lighting. It is necessary for all indoor insectivores. If it is not enough, then the bright representatives of the flora begin to lose their attractive color. In winter, they will need additional artificial lighting.
  2. Temperature. For each species, the temperature regime is selected depending on the natural conditions and the place of natural flower growth. Plants from the temperate climatic zone, such as sundew, papaver, sarracenia and Venus flytrap, feel comfortable at 18 - 22 degrees. Lower temperatures are not scary for them. But for nepentus, a high temperature is needed, starting from +22 degrees.
  3. Substrate. Soil should be similar to natural. Ideal is an acidic substrate (pH 5.0 - 6.2), in which organic and mineral fertilizers are present in moderation. It is advisable to add peat mixed with sand.
  4. Humidity and watering. Water predatory plants need soft and warm water. In summer, this is done 2 to 3 times a week. In the cool season - 1 - 2 times. Also important is humidity, which should be above 60%. To achieve compliance with these requirements, you need to regularly spray plants.
  5. Feeding and fertilizer. Since these plants are special, they must receive additional nutrition. Fertilize the soil twice a month.

Feeding is carried out with protein food. Flies, horseflies, slugs, cockroaches, spiders are suitable for these purposes. This is done with tweezers.

Can predatory plants harm humans

If science fiction books continually describe carnivorous plants that pose a threat to people, then in real life the person himself is a danger to these species. Flowers catch insects and digest them with the help of chemicals, their number is so small that they are not able to harm people.

Many indoor predator plants, by contrast, are very interesting for children. For example, a venus flytrap. It can be fed flies and pieces of meat, come up with a game - edible - inedible, etc.

Carnivorous plants are very unusual, but safe for humans. On the contrary, many species of such flora representatives are listed in the Red Book and are on the verge of extinction. Cultivated specimens are quite easy to grow at home, so if you find them on sale, be sure to have such an amazing green “pet” in your home.

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