THE VENUS FLYTRAP
by Jacalyn Benson
 

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • Order: Caryophyllales
  • Family: Droseraceae
  • Genus: Dionaea
  • Species: muscipula
     

WHAT:

A perennial carnivorous wetland plant that absorbs nutrients by trapping and digesting insects.

 

    

WHY:

The flytrap’s native habitat has very sandy, wet soil with low nitrogen content, which is why it is necessary for the flytrap to digest insects.

WHERE:

Outdoors:

The flytrap is native to bogs and wet seepage areas in North and South Carolina.

 

 

Indoors:

The flytrap should be grown in a greenhouse or terrarium.

  • Bright light and cool temperatures are a necessity.
  • A mix of sand and sphagnum moss with a pH of 4.0-4.5 should be used as a growing medium.
  • Water with distilled water or rain water.
  • Keep soil constantly moist and humidity at 80%.
  • Keep temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and just above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three months in the winter to create a period of dormancy.

HOW:

The flytrap attracts insects with red coloring or nectar on the interior of each trap. When an insect lands in the trap it triggers hairs that then cause the trap to close. If an insect is caught it will move around and continue to trigger the hairs inside the flytrap. Digestive enzymes will be released and the insect will be digested and absorbed in a matter of days. If a raindrop or something other than an insect triggers the trap it will reopen to await the next insect. Each trap on the plant may consume two to four insects during its lifetime. Excessive false stimulation of a trap may cause it to stop responding.
Source: Wikipedia copyright info
Source: Floridata.com copyright info
Contact: Jacalyn Benson