How Long Do Carnivorous Plants Live?
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History
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Carnivorous plants have evolved, but they are some of the oldest plants in the world. They grow in areas that are lacking nutrients, which is why they eat bugs. There are some exotic species that are found in the rainforest and other tropical locations in far off countries, but many are also found in the United States. They have evolved to survive as a houseplant, as long as they are able to get enough nutrition from the bugs they eat. They can survive many years, even in some of the worst conditions.
Ideal Conditions
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Most carnivorous plants seem to thrive in areas that are nutrient poor, acidic freshwater wetlands or extremely sandy soils, for example. Because of their remarkable skills, they can survive where other plants can't that are dependent on nutrients from the ground. On the other hand, there are some carnivorous plants that have their traps under water and that is how they catch their food, so they might survive in swampland or stagnant ponds. Usually, you will find carnivorous plants growing naturally in one extreme or the other.
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Diet
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Carnivorous plants eat different things. Underwater traps plants may eat mosquito larvae or small fish fry. There are some carnivorous plants that eat gnats, flies and moths. Others might eat wasps, butterflies, beetles and ants. The Venus flytrap will eat anything that crawls, even spiders. Larger plants may eat rats, birds or frogs. How long do carnivorous plants live can be answered with many years, as long as there is an insect or small vertebrae animal to eat.
Species
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Besides the Venus flytrap, there are Utricularia, Aldrovanda, Genlisea, Pinguicula and Drosera. The breeds of "pitcher plants" include Sarracenia, Nepenthes and Cephalotus. Cobras are another more common carnivorous plant. The Nepenthes is the tropical species of the pitcher plants, and they can grow very large in the tropics and have been known to eat larger prey than insects, including birds or rats.
As Houseplants
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Carnivorous plants in the house typically like a low, wide container with a soil mixture of equal parts peat moss, perlite, small-diameter lava rock, orchid bark and long-fiber sphagnum moss. Regular potting soil is not recommended. They don't like their roots to get too hot, but they do like sun. It is important to find a place that they can get full sun, yet indirect is better than heating up the pot and their roots. Plenty of drainage is important, unless they are a water species of carnivorous plant. Under the right conditions, a carnivorous plant can last many years as a houseplant, and certainly many in the natural habitat they are found in.
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