Insectivorous Plants

Classification of Insectivorous Plants

Plants that obtain at least some of their nutrition by capturing and digesting prey are called insectivorous, or carnivorous, plants. Such plants have adaptations that allow them to attract, catch, and break down or digest prey once it is caught. Estimates of the number of species of carnivorous plants number from 450 to more than 600. Generally, these plants are classified into genera based upon the mechanism they have for trapping and capturing their prey. The major genera of these plants are listed below.

Common name	Scientific name	Trapping mechanism
bladderwort	Utricularia vulgaris	active trap; shows rapid motion during capture
butterwort	Pinguicula vulgaris	semiactive trap; two-stage trap in which prey is initially caught in sticky fluid
California pitcher plant	Darlingtonia californica	passive trap; attracts prey with nectar and then drowns prey in fluid contained within plant
flypaper plant	Byblis liniflora	passive trap; attracts prey with nectar and then drowns prey in fluid contained within plant
sundew	Drosera linearis	semiactive trap; two-stage trap in which prey is initially caught in sticky fluid
Venus's flytrap	Dionaea muscipula	active trap; shows rapid motion during capture

Insectivorous Plants

Insectivorous Plants, also carnivorous plants, plants that gain some of their nutrition from animals, especially insects, captured by the plants themselves. Most occur in bogs where the soil is acid and poor in available nitrogen; capturing insects is one way of getting nitrogenous compounds without manufacturing them. At the same time, the green leaves of these plants manufacture carbohydrates. The trapping mechanism of insectivorous plants is relatively small. Therefore, prey is almost inevitably limited to small insects.

Insectivorous plants are diverse and represent members of three orders of dicots: Nepenthales, Scrophulariales, and Rosales. A majority are in the Nepenthales, including the pitcher plant, sundews and the Venus's-flytrap, and East Indian pitcher plants. Others include the bladderworts, butterworts, and the Australian pitcher plant. Discussed below are the sundews and bladderworts. Certain species of fungus are known to be carnivorous as well.

Venus’s-Flytrap

The two lobes of a Venus’s-flytrap leaf form a deceptively safe and attractive landing place for insects and other animals. Less than a second after the frog trips the trigger, bristles on the inside surface of the leaf, the lobes close enough to trap the intruder below interlocking spines. If sensory organs determine that the prisoner contains protein, the leaf closes further, and the plant’s digestive enzymes start to flow.

See Classification of Insectivorous Plants

Scientific classification: The Australian pitcher plant belongs to the family Cephalotaceae and is classified as Cephalotus follicularis. Sundews make up the family Droseraceae. Bladderworts belong to the family Lentibulariaceae. The most widespread genus of bladderworts is Utricularia. The common bladderwort is classified as Utricularia vulgaris.