Carnivorous Plants

Have you heard of meat-eating plants? Well, the Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves comes in contact with a hair, the trap closes.

View the following BBC video on the Venus Flytrap.



Another plant that is capable of such rapid movement is the waterwheel plant. This plant feeds on small aquatic invertebrates using traps very similar to those of the Venus Flytrap. The traps are arranged in whorls around a central, free-floating stem. The actual traps consist of two lobes which fold together to form a snap-trap similar to that of the Venus Flytrap, except that they are smaller and underwater. These traps, which are twisted so that the trap openings point outward, are lined on the inside by a fine coating of trigger hairs. They snap shut in response to contact with aquatic invertebrates and trap them.



Test Your Science
1. State the difference(s) between the Venus Flytrap and the waterwheel plant.

Get to know the carnivorous pitcher plant in the Young Scientists Issue 115 Level 2.