THE VENUS FLYTRAP

The Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) - is a carnivorous plant native to bogs of the southeastern United States (North and South Carolina). The genus Dionaea is monotypic, meaning that there is only one extant member of this genus - the Venus Flytrap.

Its carnivorous trap is an adaptation to the nutrient poor soil of bogs - relatively pure spring water flushes out many of the nutrients in the soil, making bogs an especially nitrogen-poor environment. The Venus Flytrap has evolved "traps" which catch and digest insects and arachnids as a means of gaining nutrients (other members of the order Droseraceae have carnivorous adaptations to bog environments also). The Venus Flytrap usually has four to nine traps, radiating from a center, and attached to the center by long flat stems. Each trap is a modified leaf and is composed of two lobes hinged by a midrib. When an insect touches the exposed trichome hairs on the surface of the trap lobes, the lobes snap together (as fast as 0.1 seconds). To prevent debris or rain from triggering a trap, two of the trichome hairs must be touched simultaneously, in succession, or one must be touched twice. To further prevent debris or rain from being trapped and digested, the continued stimulation of trichome hairs (the squirming of a trapped insect) encourages the trap to close tighter and for digestive fluids to be excreted across the surface of the lobes. If the trichome hairs are not stimulated once a trap has closed, it may open within 12 hours to release the accidentally trapped debris or rainwater. This is also why "feeding" small pieces of meat to a Venus Flytrap rarely works.


Though Dionaea muscipula is the only member of its genus, several distinctive cultivars have been produced by breeders; that is, Venus Flytraps have a range of different forms and features. One of the most popular cultivars among collectors is the Akai Ryu "Red Dragon" form, having notably large traps and dark red leaves. (link to purchase a "Red Dragon" Venus Flytrap)

Resources:
• Purchase a Venus Flytrap from California Carnivores.

• The Wikipedia entry for Dionaea muscipula.

• The definitive book on carnivorous plants and their cultivation, Peter D'Amato's "The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants."

• MyVenusFlytrap.com

• The Botanical Society of America's page on Dionaea muscipula.