What Family Does a Venus Flytrap Come From?
Venus Flytraps are hardy carnivorous plants found in only a few places in the wild, but are readily available from nurseries and various stores. They are one of the plants in the Droseraceae family. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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The Droseraceae family is also known as the Sundew family, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are approximately 150 species in the Sundew family. The Venus Flytrap and similar plants eat insects by trapping them in their mouth-like leaves and digesting them.
Geography
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The Venus Flytrap can be found in boggy, acidic areas in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. Venus Flytraps thrive in nitrogen-poor soils and can even survive fires.
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Identification
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Venus Flytraps are small plants. The highest point of the plant can be anywhere from 8 to 12 inches and hosts white flowers once mature. The "mouth" is formed by a single leaf with a midpoint that resembles a hinge. The leaf has bristles or hairs on the edges. The bright red hinge point attracts the insects inside.
Considerations
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The Flytrap is considered a Species of Special Concern in North Carolina due to land development activities.
Function
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According to the Botanical Society of America, Venus Flytraps reproduce through two different methods. The first is via the white flowers, which insects can pollinate. The Venus Flytrap is capable of reproducing by splitting its rhizome. The plant never has more than seven leaves so if another appears, that "extra" is a new plant that can be separated from the mother plant.
Fun Fact
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It takes ten days for an insect to be digested once caught. The Venus Flytrap can only catch three or four insects before it dies.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Courtesy of Chilepine on Wikimedia Commons
