Carnivorous Plants
The Venus fly trap (Dionaea Muscipula)
Venus fly traps are carnivorous plants that originate from North Carolina around the town of Wilmington in North America. They come from low lying flatlands where soils are peaty and low in nutrients. Like all carnivorous plants they have adapted leaves into trapping mechanisms that lure and trap insects. Venus fly traps (Dionaea Muscipula) are now seriously endangered in their natural habitat due to urban development and construction.
Venus fly traps (Dionaea Muscipula) in their habitat
Venus fly traps have leaves that have developed spring traps that make use of colour and sweet smelling sugary nectar to lure their prey consisting of mostly but not exclusively flying insects such as flies. The trapping mechanism has two halves held flat when open, covered with a sugary secretion and trigger hairs that when disturbed by movement, snaps shut in an instant. The prey is then digested by a series of glands which secrete digestive enzymes that break down the soft parts of the insect leaving a dried up powdery husk. The digestive process takes a few days and by the third or fourth day the trap reopens and starts the process again. Although Venus fly traps can only catch one insect at a time, they quickly become large spreading bushy plants with myriads of traps that take a heavy toll on fly populations in particular.
Venus fly traps with flies in the traps and one with a gecko.
Venus fly traps need very few insects to maintain growth, due to a high protein to nitrogen conversion rate, and during the summer proliferation of especially flies, Venus fly traps grow very quickly and proliferate from small single plants into large multi growth plants that grow exponentially through the season. Venus fly traps go through a short rest period with the onset of late Autumn to early Winter, coinciding with a period of little to no prey. During this period the plants grow much smaller traps that lie flat on the ground and may even almost disappear, but come Spring and longer days the traps come out tall and large along with a stem of smallish white flowers.
Venus fly trap with winter traps, a flowering plant and close up of flowers.
Like all carnivorous plants, Venus fly traps are highly effective passive hunters that are a very effective, ecological form of household pest control which are easy to grow and are well suited to all of South Africa’s climatic regions.
Venus fly traps are grown in strong light to full sun and kept continually moist and should not be allowed to dry out. They are best placed in a shallow tray of water outside in full all day sun. Fertilizing is detrimental and feeding is not required.
Venus fly traps are the most well known of all the carnivorous plants and although there is only one species there are many hundreds of cultivars that range in size from small to giant forms also in colour from all green through to all red, with trap sizes that can be as large as five centimetres. Many of these cultivars have named clone such as “B52”, “Saw tooth”, ”Red dragon”.... the list goes on. There are many collectors that keep Venus fly traps exclusively. Fortunately there are many of these clones being produced in South Africa and most reputable nurseries stock reliable young vigorous plants that are well started and ready for ‘work’.
“All green” “B 52” “Shark tooth”
Venus fly traps also make interesting communal plantings with other carnivorous plants that live in similar conditions such as Trumpet pitcher plants and sundews. They also make interesting subjects planted in glass bowls or terrariums.
‘Red dragon’ Giant flytrap ‘Bohemian garnet’