Unique Body
Carnivorous Plants
For those wanting a unique gardening experience If you want something unusual, carnivorous plants are bound to get attention. From the common Venus Flytrap to the Cobra plant, these exotics serve a few purposes. In areas that have high populations of bugs, it lowers the amount of flies or other insects that annoy you. While the benefit is strictly related to the size and type of carnivorous plants that you own, these plants can provide a small level of relief while giving entertainment to adults and children alike.
There are five different subsets of carnivorous plants. The most known type, the same family that the Venus Flytrap contains, is the snap trap family. Snap traps depend on a mouth that snaps around its pray, where the plant will eat anything it catches.
Next are pitfall traps. These traps require food tumbling into the plant and being unable to escape. Unique in their triggers for survival, they need to undergo evolution frequently,, as liquid can gather in the pitchers of the plant in addition to the bugs that the plant eats. These plants range from beautiful to bland, and do not have moving parts like their snap trap cousins.
Flypaper traps are among some of the most interesting carnivorous plants. These plants secrete a glue which ensnares and devours insects for nourishment. These carnivorous plants should be approached with caution in the residence, as the secretions can cause agitation to the skin.
Bladder traps are a fascinating subset of carnivorous plants. These plants function through the osmosis of water to create a suction within the body of the plant. Once an insect or aquatic species has been trapped within, escape is difficult. Unlike many carnivorous plants, these are more commonly found underwater than above ground. Some species of bladder traps, such as the Bladderwort, lack roots, which make them a creative addition to any collection.
Finally, the lobster pot traps are among some of the most Interesting appearing carnivorous plants that you can buy. These plants function by allowing pests an easy way to enter, but little chance of departure. In the case of the corkscrew plant, the internal structure of the plant have downward pointing obstructions and a y-shaped leaf form that prevents the escape of its prey. The unusual shapes of lobster pot traps are directly related to their evolution to stop the escape of insects.
For those needing something even more unusual, in borderline species, there are several varieties of plants that do not meet all of the requirements of carnivorous plants, but have sharing characteristics. These plants include the Brocchinia Roridula and members of the Martyniaceae species. These species lack one of the three required aspects, which is to attract, kill and digest prey, to be count as a true carnivorous plant.
Carnivorous plants should be grown where young children and babies cannot touch them. While most of them are mostly non-threatening to humans, digestion of these species should be avoided, due to the digestive enzymes that the plant utilizes to devour prey.
Find additional information on outdoor landscaping and plants visit Bean Plant Growth as well as here Flowering Plant Identification