Nature has created this world very diverse and amazing. This is especially true for plants. She was able to create vegetable world, which cannot be seen on a city flower bed or at home on a windowsill - this is carnivorous plants. These flowers are carnivorous and feed on living flesh. Such plants are located in places where the soil contains almost no nutrients.
These plants catch their prey, then secrete a special juice that begins to digest the prey. After that, the plant receives all the substances necessary for life.
This plant belongs to insectivorous plants and grows in North America and Texas.
The trapping leaves of this flower are shaped like a water lily, which is a trap. The leaves form a funnel that rises above the plant like a hood, and does not allow rainwater to get inside the water lily, so as not to dilute the digestive juice.
Insects fly to the smell and color that highlights the edge of the flower. They take it for nectar, but the slippery surface and the intoxicating substance help the insects get inside. Then they die in the digestive juice.
This plant belongs to other carnivorous plants. Nepenthes uses water lily-shaped leaves instead of a trap. Scientists have 135 varieties of this plant, and most of them grow in China and Indonesia.
Most of these plants are long fifteen meter vines, with a very small root system. The tendrils, located along the entire length of the stem, form a small vessel that grows rapidly, increases and turns into a predatory bowl.
Inside the bowl is a sticky liquid that attracts insects. At the bottom of the trap is a gland that distributes everything nutrients by plant.
This type of plant feeds on insects, but there are some subspecies that have larger bowls and can feed on small rodents and even rats.
This plant is rare, as it grows in Northern California, and only in places with running ice water.
The leaves of this plant are bulbous in shape with a hole located under two long and sharp leaves that look like fangs.
This plant does not use its leaves to catch insects, it uses a trap like crab claws. Insects fly to the specks of light that form the fangs of the leaves, and as soon as it gets inside, it begins to make its way along the hairs that grow deep into the plant, and can no longer get out.
This plant uses its sticky leaves for hunting. It grows in Asia and America.
Its leaves are very juicy, green or pink in color. Each leaf contains two types of cells. One species forms a sticky mucus that attracts insects and does not release them afterwards. And the second type is sessile glands, they form special enzymes that help digest insects.
All the substances that were obtained from insects feed the poor soil on which Zhiryanka grows.
This plant is the most popular and well-known of all carnivorous plants. Its diet usually includes flies and small spiders. This plant has 5-7 leaves, and they are located on a thin and small stem.
The leaves of this plant are divided into two halves, of which the trap consists. The outside of these traps contains a special pigment that releases a sticky liquid. When the insect hits the liquid, the leaf hairs pick up the signal and the leaf lobes collapse.
The share closing speed is only 0.1 second. Along the edge of the leaves are dense cilia that do not allow the victim to get out. After that, the lobules tightly close, thereby forming the stomach, in which the digestive process takes place.
These amazing abilities were awarded by the nature of the plant so that they can survive even in the worst conditions.
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✪ PLANTS that EAT ANIMALS!!!
✪ Predator plants
✪ Plants predators
✪ Predatory plants. Venus flytrap
✪ Predatory plants. predatory flowers
Most plants get their food from the soil they grow on. But what about plants living in areas with insufficient nutrients? Evolution solved this problem and presented the world with amazing creatures - plants that turned their stems and leaves into deadly traps. They have learned to dissolve and assimilate the bodies of their victims, and most importantly, they have developed unique ways to lure prey. Predators in our garden, which have become a unique link in the food chain! These "green predators" live, as a rule, in places with a lack of nitrogen and mineral salts in the soil, and animal food is an excellent source of both. Meat-eating plants can eat in the same way as their non-carnivorous counterparts, but this makes them lethargic and shortens their life cycle. Today, more than six hundred species of carnivorous plants are known, divided into three groups: "insectivorous", whose prey is mainly insects; "water" - fishing for catching micro-crustaceans; and the eat-it-your-catch group, plants that have traps large enough to catch small animals. After a successful hunt, the caught game is digested by a kind of "gastric juice", which is produced by the special glands of the plant, or the caught creature dies and rots, and the plant absorbs decomposition products. The only carnivorous plant whose process of catching insects can be seen with the naked eye is the cell plant - the Venus flytrap. Its leaves look like the mouth of an unknown monster. Each mouth is dotted with thorns-fangs, which act as lattices in the cage, when the leaf slams shut, the prey can no longer get out of it. In the case when the leaf slams shut empty, or something inedible gets into it, it will open itself within half an hour. If an insect is caught, the trap remains closed for several weeks until the food is completely absorbed. This "green monster" grows in a humid temperate climate on the Atlantic coast of the United States (Florida, North and South Carolina and New Jersey). The representative of insectivorous plants in Europe and the CIS countries is Rosyanka. Most often it can be found in the middle strip of Russia growing in swampy areas, in places poor in useful minerals - the so-called "acidic soils". In the summer, a blooming sundew can be recognized by small white flowers growing on a long stem-peduncle. The very same sundew, a rather inconspicuous marsh insectivorous grass with leaves lying on the ground, dotted with hairs. The liquid secreted by the hairs is very similar to dew, but in reality it is a glue that is deadly for insects, as well as an enzyme for digesting prey. The victim, attracted by the smell of this "pseudo-dew", sits on a leaf and sticks to it. The hairs press the unfortunate creature to the surface of the leaf, the enzyme begins the process of dissolving food, and the leaf itself, meanwhile, folds, depriving the captive of the last chance of salvation. The remains, which the sundew has not digested, fall to the ground, after which the leaves take on their usual form, the hairs are covered with sticky “dew” beads and a new hunt begins. Some especially large species of sundew can catch even careless frogs and small birds. About 130 varieties of this plant are known to science. In conditions similar to the habitat of the sundew, you can meet another "green predator" - the sourdough. It looks like a rosette of large leaves tapering at the end, covered with a shiny sticky fat-like mass. During the flowering period, a stem with a purple flower grows from the center of the rosette. The principle of hunting and feeding zhiryanka strongly resembles sundew. Insects, attracted by the smell of "fat", stick to the leaf, which is wrapped inward, and the digestive secretions break down the prey. The resulting minerals and amino acids are absorbed by the plant, then the leaf unfolds and waits for the next batch of "guests". Darlingtonia also loves swampy terrain, and outwardly resembles a cobra, ready to throw. It is for its jugs, shaped like a snake's hood, that Darlingtonia received the nickname "Cobra plant". This is a truly insidious plant: it not only lures insects into its jug with a sweet aroma, but also has numerous false "exits" on its walls, pointing down and not allowing the victim to get out. But pemphigus is a predator plant whose habitat is stagnant water. Pemphigus is deprived of the usual roots for plants, which is why it preys on insects and small crustaceans. Trapping "bubbles" are located along with the leaves under water, only its flowers float on the surface. The "bubbles" have a certain "entrance", which opens as soon as an insect is nearby. The signal to open the "bubble" comes from the probe hairs located near the "entrance". When an insect catches a hair, the "bubble" opens and draws the prey inward along with water. Then the digestion of food begins. The habitat of another carnivorous plant called NepEntes or Pitcher, is tropical forests. It grows mainly as a liana, but among the 80 varieties of this plant there are also shrubs. The pitcher got its name from special form leaves, resembling a jug, which helps it collect rainwater. These "jugs" are also large enough to catch frogs, rodents and small birds. However, insects remain the main prey of Nepenthes. On the inner part of the walls of the pitcher there are glands that produce nectar and wax. Nectar lures prey, and smooth wax does not allow to get out and the insect, falling into the water at the bottom of the jug, drowns. The next predatory plant is the handsome Byblis. The range of this low shrub is Northern Australia and southern New Guinea, as well as small areas in Western Australia. Byblis branches are studded with narrow long leaves, on the surface of which there are bristles and glands that secrete a strong adhesive substance and a digestive enzyme. Both insects and small animals fall into such a trap. Australian Aborigines once believed that the Byblis was even capable of catching and digesting a human. But this did not stop them from using biblis leaves as a source of glue. And this bright representative of insectivorous plants lives in swamps and belongs to the Sarraceniaceae family. Sarracenia has bright flowers and bright green leaves dotted with crimson capillary lines. Its leaves resemble envelopes exuding sweet juice. Once in such a trap, the insect is doomed. And the scenario with digestion and assimilation is still the same. And although the process of hunting Sarracenia is not as spectacular as, for example, hunting a Venus flytrap, it is nevertheless quite interesting to watch a flower. Today, these miracle plants can be purchased in many flower shops, including through the Internet. The buyer has a very wide choice. So, if you have a desire to decorate your house and at the same time clean it from annoying insects, these “green predators” can help you with this.
Insectivorous plants became known in the 18th century. The very first accurate botanical description Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula) was made by the English naturalist John Ellis in a letter to Carl Linnaeus in 1769. In the letter, Ellis suggested for the first time that the insects he caught were food for plants.
IN early XIX century, a number of new genera and species belonging to this group of plants were described. So, Kortals in 1835 described the phenomenon of insectivorousness in plants of the genus Nepenthes ( Nepenthes) .
Soon there were works devoted to a deep study of the characteristics of such plants. In 1861, Auger de Lassu described the sensitivity to touch and movement of the leaves of plants of the genus Aldrovand ( Aldrovanda). In 1868 an American scientist William Canby first pointed out the digestive properties of the juice secreted by the glands on the leaves of the Venus flytrap.
The next step in the study of insectivorous plants was research Charles Darwin, started with observations of sundews in 1860. At the same time, Darwin put a number laboratory experiments developed into research. He studied the "tastes" of plants and compiled a "menu". Darwin was attracted by the ability of plants to digest food, their grasping movements, high sensitivity to touch - that is, properties similar to those of animals. Subsequently, these experiments became serious scientific work, which absorbed many unique observations and bold, but reasonable conclusions.
Darwin was so captivated by this work that in a letter to Lyell he wrote:
Darwin for a long time did not dare to publish the results of his research. Only 15 years later, when they were supplemented by other researchers, he published the book "Insectivorous Plants" (). The second edition of Insectivorous Plants, with large additions written by his son, appeared after Darwin's death in 1888.
The work of Charles Darwin marked a turning point in the study of carnivorous plants. As K. Goebel writes (1893),
<…>hardly any other department of botany in modern times attracted the attention of a wider circle than the so-called insectivorous plants. The reason for this was in particular the extensive work of Darwin, which gave impetus to the appearance of numerous other works.
However, this work did not immediately find recognition among scientists of its time and was subjected to severe criticism, in most cases because of their fundamental differences with Darwin's new evolutionary theory. Director of the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden E. Regel (1879) expressed the opinion that Darwin's statement about the existence of insectivorous plants in nature belongs to the number of theories,
over which every sane botanist and natural scientist would simply laugh, if it did not come from the famous Darwin. We hope that the cold mind (der kuhle Verstand) and the thorough observation of our German investigators will soon throw this theory, like the theories of "primary" generation, parthenogenesis, alternation of generations, etc., into a box of scientific rubbish, which the former followers of such theories themselves least of all ever want to open.
However, until now, Darwin's fundamental work is the largest contribution to the study of carnivorous plants.
Template:Biophoto Data on the evolution of insectivorous plants is extremely scarce due to the small number of fossil remains of the latter. Fossils, most of which are represented by seeds or pollen, have not been found enough. Most representatives of insectivores, being herbaceous plants, lack dense structures such as bark or wood, and the trapping formations themselves are probably not preserved as fossils.
Insectivores - predominantly perennial herbaceous plants, but semi-shrubs and small shrubs are also found.
The largest known insectivorous plant is the giant biblis ( Byblis gigantea), a small (up to half a meter) shrub from the Biblis family, growing in Australia. Not only insects come across in it, but also snails and even frogs and lizards. Nepenthes - tropical lianas with a lignified stem, grow up to 4 m in length (winged Nepenthes). There are species of Nepenthes that attract small mammals with nectar and use their excrement as fertilizer.
They live mainly in swampy meadows and swamps, in the water of fresh water reservoirs. Rosolist ( Drosophyllum), a shrub up to 30 cm high, growing on dry sands in North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Local farmers have long used this plant instead of sticky fly paper, hanging it inside their houses.
Animals are used as an additional source of phosphorus, potassium and other elements. Insects are caught using modified leaves - trapping organs. Attract insects by color, smell or sweet secretions. On the surface of the leaves there are glands that secrete digestive enzymes: pepsin and organic acids (formic, benzoic and others), which digest the caught prey, breaking down animal proteins. The products formed as a result of such extracellular digestion, mainly amino acids, are absorbed and assimilated.
Plants use five main types of prey traps:
The type of trap does not depend on whether the plant belongs to a particular family.
Template:Biophoto Many plant species can be classified as protoinsectivores or parainsectivores. Plants that can extract the nutrients they need from insects adhering to their surface are called protoinsectivores; however, unlike insectivorous plants, they lack special trapping devices and do not have an attractive smell and secretory glands. Protoinsectivorousness is common for plants with glandular pubescence (yellow ibicella, some types of cinquefoil, geraniums) and sticky stems (tar). Parainsectivorous plants have partially lost the ability to catch and digest small animals and, in the course of evolution, have adapted to use other sources of nutrients. One of these plants is Nepenthes pitcher ( Nepenthes ampullaria), which, along with attracting, catching and digesting arthropods, has the ability to obtain nutrients from the falling leaves of other plants that fall into its trapping "jug". Another example is Nepenthes Low ( Nepenthes lowii). Preliminary studies have shown that this species is presumably adapted to "catching" bird droppings, feeding on its nectar and sweet secretions. Nepenthes Attenborough ( Nepenthes attenboroughii), native to the Philippines, synthesizes sweet nectar on the lid of a jar. Small animals love to feast on this nectar - tupai, which use these jugs as a toilet. From the animal's feces, the insectivorous plant receives nitrogen and phosphorus - and produces a new portion of attracting nectar, completing the cycle.
Pemphigus purpurea ( Utricularia purpurea) has partially lost the ability to catch prey. At the same time, she developed a mutualistic relationship, providing her bubbles for algae and zooplankton to inhabit.
Template:Biophoto Although different types of carnivorous plants have different requirements for light, air humidity and soil, they share some common features.
Most carnivorous plants require rain or other specially prepared demineralized water with a slightly acidic, almost neutral environment (about 6.5).
Regular tap or drinking water contains mineral salts (in particular, calcium salts), which quickly accumulate in tissues and can destroy the plant. This is because most carnivorous plants grow in acidic, nutrient-poor soils and are therefore extremely sensitive to excess calcium and excessive amounts of nutrients. Since most of these plants grow in swampy areas, almost all of them are moisture-loving and do not tolerate drought. Although there are exceptions, for example: tuberous sundews, which need a dry (summer) dormant period, and the Lusitanian dewberry ( Drosophyllum lusitanicum), growing in dry conditions.
Plants grown outdoors are able to provide themselves with the necessary number of insects. Insects can be fed to plants by hand to supplement their diet. However, carnivorous plants are usually unable to digest large quantities of food, which can rot in the trap, which in turn can lead to the death of the plant. Small carnivores, such as some species of ants and spiders, dive directly into the digestive juice and eat the prey caught by the plant, thereby facilitating the plant's digestion.
A carnivorous plant that does not catch insects rarely dies, although its growth may be retarded. In general, these plants are best left to fend for themselves. After watering tap water, the most common reason for the death of the Venus flytrap is the mechanical impact on the traps in order to examine them up close and “feed” them, for example, with cheese or other products.
Most carnivorous plants require bright light, and most will look better under these conditions, as this encourages them to synthesize red and purple pigments called anthocyanins. For Nepenthes And Pinguicula the best conditions will be absolute UV, however for most other species direct sunlight is acceptable.
Carnivorous plants mainly grow in swamps, and therefore require high humidity air. On a small scale, this can be achieved by placing the plant pot on a wide tray of pebbles that are constantly moistened. Small species of Nepenthes grow well in large terrariums.
Many carnivorous plants come from cold temperate regions and can be grown outdoors, in swamps, in gardens. all year round. Majority Sarracenia can tolerate temperatures below freezing, despite this, most species are native to the southeastern United States. Kinds Drosera And Pinguicula can also tolerate low temperatures. Nepenthes are species that are tropical, requiring a temperature rise of +20 to +30 °C for flowering. Template: Biophoto Many Sarracenia hybrids developed are very unpretentious, in particular, they are quite undemanding to the content of nutrients in the soil. Most value 3:1 peat mix Sphagnum to sand (coconut is an acceptable and more environmentally friendly substitute for peat). Nepenthes orchids will grow in compost or pure sphagnum moss.
Beginner gardeners can recommend species originating from cool temperate climate conditions, in greenhouse conditions (minimum 5 ° C in winter time, maximum +25 ° C in summer) such plants will feel good in wide trays with rain or acidified water in summer period, and in conditions of humid air in winter.
The Venus flytrap can live in these conditions, but it is actually quite difficult to grow: despite good care, it is often subject to gray mold infestation in winter, even if it is well ventilated.
Some of the lowland Nepenthes ( Nepenthes) grow very quickly in relatively constant warm and humid conditions.
Template: Biophoto Insectivorous plants have always aroused interest, which is reflected in works of art, films, commercials, computer games, where they were often credited with the ability to reach enormous sizes and other unusual properties. One of the first rumors, later debunked, about
Not all plants feed only on nutrients from the air and soil. Among them, there are also carnivorous plants that eat insects, small crustaceans, and even fish fry ... it happens that a person becomes a victim of a plant. Predatory plants live in unusual conditions: in the desert, on raised bogs, wet rocks, swampy meadows - on poor soil, poor in nutrients. Therefore, they have developed the ability to assimilate living protein food, grabbing it literally from the air.
They have not lost their ability to eat. inorganic substances coming from soil and air. Simply, life on soil poor in nitrogenous salts and other minerals forced them to look for additional sources of food. Many predatory plants live in swamps and swamps, and at the expense of the caught victims, they make up for the lack of nitrogen for themselves. Carnivorous plants are able to live without protein food, but this makes them very stunted.
Predatory, or carnivorous, insectivorous plants catch victims with the help of special trap leaves. All carnivorous plants beautiful flowers and brightly colored leaves. Insects fly for nectar and fall into a trap. When the insects are baited, they either stick to the leaf with sticky glandular hairs, or are trapped by the leaves in the form of special traps. The body of the victim is digested with the help of special enzymes or destroyed by organic acids secreted by plants.
Predatory plants are divided into three groups according to trapping organs. These are plants with moving trapping organs (sunflower, oilwort, flycatcher); with sticky sticky leaves (rosolist growing in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco); with bubbles, jugs and "trapping pits" in the form of tubes (pemphigus, nepenthes, saracenia).
Insectivores are perennial herbaceous plants, there are not very many species of them, only about 500. Some soil fungi are also predators. They are found in all ecosystems in various parts light, grow on soil and in water. As a rule, these plants are inhabitants of areas with a warm, temperate and tropical climate, they love the sun. Better known to us - sundew and zhiryanka - inhabitants of peat bogs.
Giant carnivorous plants can be found in the tropical jungles of Madagascar. Aborigines talk about a tree that can eat a person. The German naturalist K. Liche was an eyewitness of how "a palm tree with a thick trunk in the shape of a pineapple and a height of about 2.5 meters" ate a woman. The scientist saw the rite of sacrifice to this tree.
After the ritual dance, a young woman was brought to the tree, she climbed up the trunk and began to lick the juice from two huge leaves in the form of open palms until she fell into a trance. Then two-meter creepers began to close around her. Gradually, the palm leaves shrank. The girl screamed. After 10 days, Lihe found only the bones of the victim under this tree.
According to scientists, a few million years ago, predator plants were larger. Their growth has decreased as a result of climate change. Since the climate has changed less in the equatorial tropical zones, it is there that one should look for the ancestors of carnivorous plants.
In the middle of the 20th century, the German scientist K. Schwimmer went on an expedition to check the rumors about a monster devouring people in Northern Rhodesia (Central Africa). The search for the monster ended with the discovery of a cannibal tree. Having come to the source of the spicy intoxicating smell, the members of the expedition saw a tree-grove, the lush crown of which was supported by thick shoots.
Schwimmer found many bones under the tree. With slaps in the face, he brought to life his companions, intoxicated by a narcotic smell. Travelers plugged their nostrils with chewing gum and conducted an experiment. They shot a vulture and threw it into a tree. Lianas immediately wrapped around the bird. As soon as the researchers moved a little away, they heard a chilling cry: the Negro porter became the prey of the tree. It was impossible to save him. Hearing from Schwimmer about what happened, the leader of the tribe ordered the terrible plant to be burned.
1970 - Naturalists in Brazil saw a palm-like tree feeding on monkeys and sloths.
In the forests of Central America, the so-called "Tree of Justice" was discovered. It got its name from the Goboro tribe. According to the leader of the tribe, those suspected of murder or theft are brought to trial by the tree: it releases the innocent, and sucks the blood of the criminals.
It was a tree with two trunks growing 1 meter apart and with long vines. According to eyewitnesses, they, in fact, wrapped around, but immediately released the girl, who decided to test the words of the leader in practice. It can be assumed that the tree reacts to substances that, out of fear, are released from the criminal, placed between the trunks of the tree.
The powerful impact of radiation on nature, caused by the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, led to the appearance of monstrous mushrooms in the forests of the Kyiv, Gomel and Bryansk regions. These vampire fungi secrete a sticky substance that insects stick to. Then the fungus grows into the body of the victim with a thin tube and sucks out its contents. Other mushrooms, "rocket shooters", shoot a spore at an insect, the spore germinates in the body of the victim, kills it and gives life to a new fungus.
Rosyanka is called so because droplets of sticky mucus glisten on it, which look like dew or droplets of honey. The sundew itself is painted in red-green colors. The leaves of this small carnivorous plant are covered with 25 cilia on the upper side of the leaf blade and along the edges where the longest of them are found. The upper end of the cilia is thickened. It is there that the piece of iron is located, which secretes sticky mucus. Insects fly to the predatory sundew, attracted by the brilliance of this droplet. But as soon as they touch the fox, they stick. Soon, after 10 or 20 minutes, the eyelash to which the victim has stuck will bend towards the center of the leaf. All neighboring cilia will also be bent.
After that, the edge of the leaf plate will be bent, and the trap will close. If on the cilia there is a substance that does not contain protein, for example, a raindrop, they will not move. Enzymes secreted by cilia break down protein (sunflower enzymes are similar to pepsin, the gastric juice of animals). After the predator has had lunch, the cilia straighten out, again become covered with “dew” and lure new flies. Sometimes the digestive process stretches for several days. The South African royal sundew - a plant of half a meter in height - is able to digest even snails and frogs.
The green leaves of the sundew are much larger than the leaves of the sundew. They are covered with mucus and this makes them look fat. If you look at a section of a leaf under a microscope, you can see two types of glands: some are like mushrooms with caps, others are just caps without legs. There are up to 25,000 glands on one square centimeter of a leaf. When an insect sticks to a leaf and irritates it, the plant immediately releases digestive juices. Zhiryanka eats an insect even faster than sundew: she has enough days.
The most complex traps in terms of arrangement are those of pemphigus. These are plants without roots. They rarely occur more than 2 mm in diameter. Pemphigus, which lives in swamp water, catches and eats insect larvae, fry and crustaceans. The leaves of the predator float in the water, and a stem with large yellow flowers is visible above the water. Its strongly dissected leaf was transformed in the process of development, because some of its parts became hollow bubbles.
Each such bubble has its own mouth, framed by hard bristles. The inner lining of the trap is covered with hairs that absorb liquid all the time, therefore negative pressure is created in the cavity. As soon as the valve opens, water enters the bubble along with the victim. You can't get out of the bubble. Its walls inside cover the digestive glands. When a crustacean or fry dies in a trap and decomposes, the plant "digests" its remains.
It has long been known that sundews and butterworts produce a protein-digesting enzyme. A person uses this feature when cleaning clay jugs from milk residues. They are evaporated with a decoction of sundew leaves, which decomposes milk protein even in the pores of pottery.
There are flower growers who grow these carnivorous plants at home. "Predators" are dug out together with peat moss, "settle" in a terrarium, and covered with glass from above so that the plant has enough moisture. The owners of predator plants have to catch flies for feeding them, some manage to feed them with pieces of meat and cottage cheese.
Saracenia purpurea is widespread, in which the petiole of the leaf has turned into a tube, and the leaf blade has turned into a cap above it. Even when the Saracenia is not in bloom, its emerald-crimson or yellow-red leaves attract midges. Small Saracenia and Californian Darlingtonia have another snag for insects: the canopies over the traps are translucent, the insect takes the gap for an exit, takes off, hits the wall and falls into the liquid.
Insects drown in the liquid, are digested, and then the remains are absorbed by the walls of the tube. The favorite food of this plant is cockroaches and flies. The Saraceniaceae family includes 10 species of Saracenia, California Darlingtonia and six species of Heliamphora. Their habitat is swamps in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions in the south. North America and northeastern South America.
Near Wilmington, North Carolina, a Venus flytrap grows in peat bogs. Its leaves are a kind of trap. Each of them is divided into two parts, the lower part extracts nutrients from the air, and the upper one catches insects. The two movable lobes of the lock leaf have sharp teeth, and each of them has three long elastic bristles.
As soon as a fly or a mosquito touches the bristles, the lobules quickly slam shut and pinch the insect. Resistance will only increase the grip of the carnivorous plant. The victim breaks out, and the leaf slices squeeze it more and more. Then the small red glands begin to secrete acidic transparent juice. For 1–3 weeks, the flycatcher eats the insect, and its lobules return to their previous position. After two or three meals, the leaf dies off. Why is this Venus flytrap? They say that she was given this name because the trap leaves are shaped like sea shells, which have long been considered a symbol of the feminine.
An experiment with a plant showed that if you touch the bristles with a stick, the trap closes, but when it finds that there is no food in it, the plant reopens. It reacts even if the victim weighs only 0.0008 milligrams. It is curious that the trap closes only when the victim touches two or more hairs. If only one bristle is disturbed, then the trap will not work. So some lucky ones manage to carefully climb to the nectar and enjoy it.
By the same principle as the Venus flytrap, it catches its prey under aquatic plant Aldrovanda from the sundew family.
The favorite delicacy of orangutans is the digestive juice from large jugs of nepenthes (a genus of insectivorous plants, part of the petiole of which is turned into a jug). It is sour in taste and very refreshing in the heat.
Under the forest canopy in the tropics of Madagascar, South Asia and Indonesia, New Guinea, Northern Australia, Seychelles, bizarre nepenthes grow in the warm and humid jungle - bushy vines.
This carnivorous plant uses another plant instead of a support, developing on it. Thus, trees and shrubs growing near are entwined with petioles of Nepenthes leaves, and blue, red, green jugs hang between the branches, which are the “hunting organs” of the plant. Having evolved, the Nepenthes leaf turned into a brightly colored jug with a lid, and its middle part turned into a tendril. The length of the trap jars various types ranges from 4 to 60 cm.
These are insectivores, catching insects passively. In some of these plants, the jug holds up to one liter of liquid, so not only large insects but even small birds. In addition to its bright color, insects are attracted to Nepenthes by its fragrant nectar. It stands out along the edge of the jug and looks like a smooth wax coating. The victim sits on the jug, then gradually moves to its slippery inner side due to plaque and slides down it to the bottom, into a viscous liquid.
Hard hairs inside the jug prevent her from climbing up. These sharp hairs are directed downwards, which allows the caught prey to easily slide to the bottom, but makes it difficult to get out of the jar. After 5–7 hours, the prey of the Nepenthes is digested. Pitchers-stomachs work all the time. These creepers are also called "hunting cups": you can drink from them clean water, however, only from above, because at the bottom there are undigested insects. Giant Nepenthes grow on the island of Borneo; pigeons, other birds, and small animals sometimes get into their jugs.
Australians have found good use leaves of another well-known carnivorous plant - giant biblis. The narrow leaves of this low shrub secrete a substance with such a strong adhesive effect that at times frogs and small birds stick to them. Australians use this substance as a glue.
Carnivorous plants are quite widespread throughout the world. In nature, there are 450 species of similar plants, which are combined into six families. Insects form the basis of their diet, therefore carnivorous plants are often also called insectivorous.
Carnivorous plants are a miracle of nature. They are remarkably adapted to life in places characterized by a lack of nutrients in the soil. These plants have become predators! The need for survival requires them to be able to catch live prey.
Carnivorous plants obtain food in five ways. Some of them use pitcher-shaped trap leaves, others use sticky traps, the next use crabs like traps, the fourth use suction traps, and the fifth use flapping leaves.
Carnivorous plants have "developed" many ways to lure insects. For example, in some predatory plants, the edges of the trapping leaves have a bright red color, while in others, the inner walls of the leaf secrete a sugary substance that attracts insects.
Venus flytrap 
The most famous of the carnivorous plants is the flycatcher (Dionaea muscipula), but its Russian-language name is the Venus flytrap. According to one version, this plant predator was named after the Roman goddess because its trap leaves are shaped like a female genital organ.
The trap itself is located on a short stem and outwardly resembles an open shell of mollusks. Along the edges of the flaps there is one row of teeth, comparable to long eyelashes. However, all this is just an entourage, while the real weapons are glands and trigger hairs. The glands are located along inside teeth-eyelashes and secrete a sweet-smelling nectar, which is so difficult for insects to pass by. When the victim crawls inside the trap, triggers come into play - they react to touch. The trap does not close immediately, only a few consecutive touches to the triggers (and there are three of them on each leaf) are able to close the trap. Dionea, having received an insect in her trap, begins the process of digestion. The same glands that produced nectar begin to secrete abundant digestive juice, in which the insect drowns. It usually takes several days to digest, after which the valves open again, revealing to the world only the chitinous shell of the victim.
Sundew 
The round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is practically the only carnivorous plant growing on the territory of the former Soviet Union. It is found mainly in the northern and central regions of our country. The photo shows that it owes its name to small droplets of sticky liquid that are on the hairs that cover the leaves of this plant. These droplets glisten in the sun and are very similar to dew. It is in them that the digestive enzyme lies, which allows the sundew to digest insects, and thus receive necessary food even on poor peat soils.
It is very interesting to watch how the sundew catches insects. Unlike the Venus flytrap, the sundew does not close its trap. And the point here again is in the droplets covering the leaves. They are sticky enough to deter an insect that has had the imprudence to be seduced by the sweet fragrance of this plant.
After the insect has stuck, the leaf begins to slowly roll up, surrounding its prey all big amount clear sticky liquid. After the complete folding of the leaf, the process of digestion begins, which usually takes several days. After this process is completed, the leaf unfolds and is again covered with droplets.
Nepenthes 
Spectacular and original pitcher belongs to the genus Nepenthes (Nepenthes), which includes several dozen species of plants of the Nepenthaceae family. unusual shape This flower immediately attracts attention. Even after seeing a photo of Nepentes just once, you can fall in love with him completely and irrevocably. But its main feature is that Nepenthes is a predator flower. Its attractive brightly colored jugs contain a liquid that allows the flower to be digested and used as insect food.
Sarracenia 
Sarracenia, or the North American carnivorous plant, is a genus of carnivorous plants that are found in areas of the east coast of North America, in Texas, in the Great Lakes, in southeastern Canada, but most are found only in the southeastern states.
This plant uses water lily-shaped traps as a trap. The leaves of the plant have developed into a funnel with a hood-like formation that grows over the opening, preventing rainwater from entering, which can dilute the digestive juices. Insects are attracted to color, smell, and secretions like nectar at the edge of a water lily. The slippery surface and the drug that surrounds the nectar encourage insects to fall inward, where they die and are digested by protease and other enzymes.
darlingtonia 
Darlingtonia Californian is the only member of the Darlingtonia genus that grows in northern California and Oregon. It grows in swamps and cold springs. running water and is considered a rare plant.
Darlingtonia leaves are bulbous and form a cavity with a hole under a balloon-like structure and two sharp leaves that hang down like fangs.
Unlike many carnivorous plants, it does not use trapping leaves to trap, but uses a crab claw-type trap. Once the insect is inside, they are confused by the specks of light that pass through the plant. They land in thousands of dense, fine hairs that grow inwards. Insects can follow the hairs deep into the digestive organs, but cannot go back.
Genlisey 
Genlisea consists of 21 species, usually grows in humid terrestrial and semi-aquatic environments and is distributed in Africa and Central and South America.
Genlisea is a small herb with yellow flowers that use a crab claw-type trap. Such traps are easy to get into, but impossible to get out of because of the small hairs that grow towards the entrance or, as in this case, forward in a spiral.
These plants have two various types leaves: photosynthetic leaves above ground and special underground leaves that lure, trap and digest small organisms, such as the simplest. The underground leaves also perform the role of roots, such as water absorption and attachment, since the plant itself does not have them. These underground leaves underground form hollow tubes that look like a spiral. Small microbes get into these tubes with the help of a stream of water, but cannot get out of them. By the time they get to the exit, they will already be overcooked.
Pemphigus 
Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a genus of carnivorous plants with 220 species. They meet in fresh water or moist soil as ground or aquatic species on all continents except Antarctica.
They are the only carnivorous plants that use the bubble trap. Most species have very small traps in which they can catch very small prey such as protozoa. Traps range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 cm, and larger prey, such as water fleas or tadpoles, fall into large traps.
The bubbles are under negative pressure relative to the environment. The opening of the trap opens, sucks in the insect and surrounding water, closes the valve, and all this happens in thousandths of a second.
Zhiryanka 
Oilwort (Pinguicula) belongs to a group of carnivorous plants that use sticky, glandular leaves to lure and digest insects. Nutrients obtained from insects, complement the soil, poor in minerals. There are approximately 80 species of these plants in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
The leaves are succulent and usually bright green or pink in color. There are two special types of cells found on the upper side of the leaves. One is known as the peduncle and is made up of secretory cells at the top of a single stem cell. These cells produce a slimy secretion that forms visible droplets on the surface of the leaves and acts like Velcro. Other cells are called sessile glands, and they are found on the surface of the leaf, producing enzymes such as amylase, protease, and esterase, which aid in the digestive process. While many species of butterwort are carnivorous all year round, many types form a dense winter rosette that is not carnivorous. When summer comes, it blooms and has new carnivorous leaves.
Byblis 
Byblis, or rainbow plant, is a small species of carnivorous plant native to Australia. The rainbow plant gets its name from the attractive slime that coats the leaves in the sun. Despite the fact that these plants are similar to sundews, they are not related to the latter in any way and are distinguished by zygomorphic flowers with five curved stamens.
Its leaves have round section, and most often they are elongated and tapered at the end. The surface of the leaves is completely covered with glandular hairs, which secrete a sticky mucous substance that serves as a trap for small insects perching on the leaves or tentacles of a plant.
Aldrovanda vesicularis 
Aldrovanda vesiculosa is a magnificent rootless, carnivorous aquatic plant. It usually feeds on small aquatic vertebrates using a trap trap.
The plant consists mainly of free-floating stems that reach 6-11 cm in length. Leaves-traps, 2-3 mm in size, grow in 5-9 curls in the center of the stem. The traps are attached to the petioles, which contain air that allows the plant to float. It is a fast growing plant and can reach 4-9mm per day and in some cases produce a new curl every day. While the plant grows at one end, the other end gradually dies.
The plant trap consists of two lobes that close like a trap. The holes of the trap are directed outward and covered with fine hairs that allow the trap to close around any prey that comes close enough. The trap closes in tens of milliseconds, which is one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom.
Cephalotus 
Cephalotus is the one and only predator from distant Australia. Despite their tiny size (adult plants usually reach only 7-10 cm), cephalotuses are incredibly attractive and interesting. The plant perfectly copes with the role of a hunter, some tricks help it in this. The slippery edges of jars, sharp spikes that prevent insects from getting out of the trap, and special cells devoid of pigment on the lid of the jar that let in light and create a deceptive impression of "open sky".
And of course, the deadly digestive fluid at the bottom of the trap. Such is the insidious and cunning little cephalotus. However, from the outside it seems defenseless and requiring care and attention. And this is also his little trick.
Heliamphora 
Heliamphora is a predatory beauty native to South America. Its name comes from the places in which it lives, "a jug of swamps" - this is how "Heliamphora" is translated. And indeed, most of all, the plant looks like bright jugs that have grown in inconspicuous gray swamps.
The method of hunting heliamphora is simple and straightforward. The predator attracts insects with nectar, which is produced in the so-called nectar spoon located on the hood of the jug, and when the insect sits on the jug, it literally rolls down the smooth slippery walls inside, where digestion takes place. As they say, everything ingenious is simple.
This is how you think before you start a flower at home.
The idea that the representatives of the flora inhabiting our planet serve as food for herbivores, reptiles and insects is firmly rooted in the human mind. Their share in the human diet is also large. But there are such types of carnivorous plants that do not wait to be eaten, but they themselves are not averse to feasting on living organisms.
Almost everything that grows from the earth feeds on its juices. For this they have root system, often very branched, through which useful material they enter the stem, and then are absorbed, turning into wood, fiber, leaves, and sometimes beautiful inflorescences pleasing to the eye. The better the soil, the more opportunities. This applies to all types of flora, from grass to huge redwoods. Unfortunately, climatic diversity does not always contribute to the growth and survival of biological objects. The land is not fertile everywhere. So we have to adapt, not only to people, but also to all our other space satellites. Indeed, in essence, we are flying in space, surrounded by a dead vacuum, and our world has become alive because we have air, water, heat and much more, which is essential. carnivorous plants they feed on creatures that are on the evolutionary ladder above them, not because of innate cruelty, they are forced to obtain the substances necessary for their life activity because there is nowhere else to take them.
The food for predatory flowers is mainly insects. They rarely sit down on everything, except to rest a little. Boat bugs are also constantly looking for something to profit from, such is the fate of all living beings on the planet. Of course, carnivorous plants could simply wait for the right opportunity, but then most of them would hardly have survived. Therefore, they take the initiative on the same principle as people who claim that luck is in the hands. In the absence of limbs, a predator plant uses the organs at its disposal, namely leaves and flowers. Capricious insects can be attracted by aroma, color and the beauty that harmless daisies, poppies or daffodils captivate bees and butterflies, with the only difference that they should be even more seductive, at least from the point of view of insects.
And now a gullible insect sits on a predator plant in the hope of feasting on nectar. The structure of the leaves contains traps, divided according to the functional load into baits and grips. Organs of various shapes are capable of attracting insects (for example, in the form of cilia, like in sarracenia, or jugs of water, with which Nepenthes lures its victims). The main thing is for the insect to fly closer, make sure that it is offered an unprecedented treat, and make a fatal landing for itself. After that, the predator plant uses hairs that firmly hold the victim for the time necessary for the leaves or petals to close, blocking the escape route. There is no more hope for salvation. Through the release of special enzymes, the insect is killed, its vital juices containing useful substances (nitrogen, phosphorus, alkali metal salts, etc.) pass into the tissues of the killer flower. All that remains is what cannot be digested - chitinous shells.
She is from the New World. It lives mainly in the southern part of North America, although it is also found in Canada, but less often. This predatory plant uses special leaves for hunting, also called trapping, similar to a funnel with a cape-hood. This cover protects the opening from which the tempting insect odor is emitted from rain and excessive diffusion of the nectar-like secretion liquid. Sarracenia bait also contains a substance that has a relaxing effect on the victims, similar to a narcotic effect. The leaf surface is smooth and slippery. Under the charm of the sweet smell, bugs or flies themselves tend to get into this terrible funnel, from which there is no way out. Having fallen inside, the victims are digested and dissolved by protease and other caustic enzymes.
If, in terms of beauty, sarracenia, perhaps, ranks first among insectivorous flowers, then in terms of size, the priority rightfully belongs to Nepenthes, an inhabitant of the South Pacific region. He lives in Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, China, India, as well as the Philippines, Seychelles, Madagascar, Sumatra and the island of Borneo. The local primates use this plant as a source of water in the heat, so its other name is "monkey cup". The leaves of the Nepenthes resemble a water lily, they are connected to long stems, like those of lianas. The bait is plentiful, it can be more or less sticky. Unfortunate insects fall into this liquid, drown in it, and then dissolve. Most of the Nepenthes species are of very moderate size, but there are real giants among them. It's not just carnivorous plants. Photos of Nepenthes Rajah or Nepenthes Rafflesiana, with an appetite to eat birds, mice and even rats, make an indelible impression. Fortunately, for larger mammals and humans, they do not pose a danger.
Carnivorous plants also live in Africa. On the "Black Continent" there are over two dozen species of quite beautiful yellow flower genlisey. It is also widespread in South America. Genlisei, with its asymmetrical shape, resembles a crab's claw, which is easy to hit, but almost impossible to escape. The thing is that the hairs growing on her inner surface, arranged in a spiral, and their direction prevents reverse movement. At the same time, hunting for all living things is carried out not only above the earth's surface (this is the case of photosynthetic outer leaves), but also in the soil, where microorganisms are sucked in together with soil water through hollow tubes, also spiral-shaped. Digestion of food occurs directly in the channels of its intake.
Insectivorous plants amaze with a variety of methods for misleading their victims. So, California Darlington, which hunts near rivers, lakes and springs with cool water, has the shape of a bulb. In the center of this miracle of nature is a hole with two fang-shaped leaves, quite sharp. The Darlingtonia itself lives underwater. Its difference is that it does not use leaves for catching, insects get inside it through the “crab claw”, an asymmetrical petal. But the main catch lies in the color disorientation of the victim, achieved by many light-shadow transitions, into which the insect plunges, once inside. These insectivorous plants simply drive their victims crazy with the help of specks on the light-conducting shell, and they can no longer understand where is up and where is down. In addition, the hairs give them the right direction.
The unique bubble trap is characteristic of the plant with the sonorous name Utricularia. It is small, the largest of the bubbles reach a centimeter or a little more. Accordingly, the prey is modest, pemphigus is saturated with tadpoles and water fleas. But the diversity and range are impressive. There are more than two hundred species, and you can meet this predator almost everywhere, except perhaps the tundra or Antarctica. The technique used in hunting is also unusual. A small vacuum is generated inside the bubbles, and the flower, like a small vacuum cleaner, sucks insects passing by along with water. This happens very quickly, the whole process from opening the trap hole to plugging it takes some microseconds.
Almost a complete analogue of duct tape, which just a couple of decades ago in the summer hung from the ceiling of almost every diner. True, the Pinguicula, or fat-wort, is much prettier than those dark brown spirals from the past. Bright green or pink leaves outside covered with two types of cells. The peduncle glands, located closer to the stem, produce mucus containing a glue that attracts the smell, and at the same time securely fixes insects. This is the same sticky. The second type of cells are the so-called sessile glands. They are directly related digestive system and produce protease, esterase and amylase, that is, enzymes that decompose living organisms into components useful for the plant.
Some types of butterwort hide under a dense rosette for the winter in order to bloom again in the spring and continue the merciless hunt, spreading carnivorous sticky leaves.
This predator lives in Australia. It's hard to imagine a beautiful slime, but that's how you can define its surface. In the appearance of the byblis there is some resemblance to the sundew, but it is completely special kind carnivorous plant.
In cross section, the leaf is round, it is provided with a conical sharp end. The hairs growing on it exude a viscous substance of beautiful iridescent hues. Flowers are also not without aesthetic appeal and are equipped with five curved stamens. The hunting mechanism is not particularly original. The insect sticks, as a rule, it is small. Here he ends.
Bubble Aldrovanda lives in water. She is a record holder in two categories. Firstly, this carnivorous creature (it is difficult to call it a flower, rather some kind of algae) grows very quickly, almost a centimeter daily. This does not mean that aldrovanda will soon flood all tropical water bodies. How fast it lengthens, just as fast it shortens. This plant has no root, it grows at one end and dies at the other.
Second unique feature aldrovanda biologists consider it a trap. They are very small, up to three millimeters, but they are enough to catch small aquatic vertebrates, and do it quickly. The trap consists of two halves covered with hairs. The response time is measured in tens of milliseconds, which is a kind of speed record. Such a rapid movement of a living organism has no analogues.
But not only in exotic countries inhabited by insectivorous plants. Species distributed in the Far Eastern regions, Siberia and the European part of the Russian Federation (and there are three of them) can survive in the cold due to the ability to form reliably thermally insulated buds. Having survived in the winter, they come to life in the spring and begin hunting for bugs and flies that are greedy for delicious aromas. An example is the plant-predator sundew, whose range occupies almost the entire temperate climate zone in both the northern and southern hemispheres. After wintering, not very long shoots are knocked out of the buds, living for one year. The leaves growing on them are about a centimeter in size, covered with thin hairs of a reddish hue that emit drops that resemble dew (hence the name). Is it worth explaining that it is this liquid that the sundew uses as bait? In the first warm months, various bugs that accidentally find themselves in the predator's zone of action become the subject of hunting. Further, the hunt is more targeted. In July, the flowering season begins, and pollinating insects become victims. Five-petalled flowers are quite beautiful, and look like bright clouds above the surface of the swamp.
Despite the lethal effect produced on insects, this plant serves a person and is very useful for the treatment of bronchitis, asthma, atherosclerosis, and even helps to alleviate suffering from epileptic attacks.
The beneficial qualities that plants that feed on the juices of insects killed by them can boast of have found recognition among people. Houseplants-predators have long been welcome inhabitants of residential and office space. Advantages, such as unpretentiousness, peculiar beauty and the ability to exterminate inappropriate living creatures, motivate the choice in their favor when deciding which flowerpot to put on the windowsill. The eternal scourge of all offices, offices, and sometimes houses or apartments is the concern about who will water the flowers. In the case of predatory representatives of the flora, it is not particularly necessary to worry, they can take care of themselves for quite a long time.
To get rid of flies and mosquitoes, or at least reduce their number, people are helped along with sticky paper or insecticides by predator plants. The Venus flytrap is scientifically called Dionea (Dionaea muscipula). Her homeland is the savannah of North America. Its dimensions allow you to place vases and pots even in tight spaces. The flower is beautiful, white, with a pleasant aroma. The two valves look friendly and hospitable, only small teeth along their edge can suggest an ominous prospect for a fly that decides to sit at least on the edge of this shell. Dionea receives an inaudible signal from one of the three hairs placed in each trap - the valves close. The main phase of the movement of the petals is swift and takes only one tenth of a second, which gives reason to consider the flycatcher more like a flyswatter. However, if the insect is small, it can still escape by making its way through the still existing cracks. In this case, the retention process stops, as does the entire digestive cycle, and after about a day, the entire fly-catching system returns to its original combat position. But this doesn't happen often. Sometimes it happens that two or three insects fall into the trap at the same time.
So, the choice is made. The owner of the premises is a rather busy person, perhaps often goes on business trips, and capricious flowers do not suit him. Only cacti or predator plants meet all its requirements. A photo seen in a magazine, or an example of the successful coexistence of such flowers with familiar people, confirms the choice in favor of a flycatcher or a sundew. The treasured pot was bought and placed on the windowsill. What to do next?
Nothing at first. It is necessary to let the plant get used to the new place and release a couple of new leaves. If the house is perfectly clean, and there is no one to eat a flower, you will have to feed it from time to time, and insects should be given alive, because it is their natural stirring that activates the entire nutritional process. For the same reason, you do not need to feed a carnivorous plant. human food like slices of sausage or cheese. Such a diet will cause extremely backfire, from a nasty stench to the complete death of a flower.
Insects are different, among them not everyone is ready to accept the role of a helpless victim. Other beetles are quite capable of literally gnawing out their right to life by making a hole in the trap with their jaws. You should not experiment with especially thick-shelled insects, as well as with too large ones. Not everything that is bigger is tastier, and the size of the victims should allow them to fit freely in the trap, and it is better if they are half the size of it. It is not recommended to overfeed carnivorous plants, one should be aware of the harsh conditions in which they are accustomed to survive. A normal “portion” of a flycatcher is up to three flies (and not a day, but for the whole summer). Sarracenia's appetite is less modest, but even it does not exceed a dozen individuals.
In addition, traps have a limited “motor resource”, for example, “shell” veneers are designed for no more than four meals, after which they die. If you load them all at the same time, soon the plant will simply have nothing to eat.
A special warning to fishing enthusiasts who believe that their passion guarantees constant availability suitable food. Bloodworms, earthworms or hairy worms and other bait are good for fish, but plant digestion is not designed for all this abundance.
Any excessive nutrition is harmful to predatory flowers in the same way as to people, it leads to decay. In winter, they do not need to be fed at all. So, the complete diet.
Carnivorous plants have many times become the prototypes of fantastic monsters that live in distant worlds. People like everything mysterious, they find a special charm in the predatory beauty characteristic of these wild and domestic flowers. And in addition to such useful quality, as the ability to exterminate annoying insects, flycatchers or sundews have another important advantage. They are simply beautiful.
