6 strangest REAL-LIFE CARNIVOROUS PLANTS
Kieran Sheldon, 7/11/24
Meat-eating plants aren’t just a product of science-fiction stories. I regret to inform you that Mother Nature is a very spooky gal who’s filled the wild places of our world with all manner of strange and bloodthirsty flora. These plants compensate for nutrient-poor environments by trapping and digesting live prey, usually insects.
Buckle up, buddy, because these funky little predators get weird. Wait ‘til you see what some of these guys eat.
6) THE CAPE SUNDEW’s STICKY TENTACLES
Image by Naoki Takebayashi.
Hailing from South Africa, the cape sundew (Drosera capensis) traps flying insects on its sticky, hairy leaves. Though the sweet-smelling droplets on its tendrils may sparkle like dew, they’re actually a goopy glue full of digestive enzymes. Any unfortunate bug that mistakes the glue for delicious nectar will find itself stuck. Once its prey is immobilized, the cape sundew slowly curls its leaf around the morsel, dissolving it and absorbing its tasty nutrients.
The cape sundew is one of the easiest carnivorous plants to grow at home. Get yours today!
5) NEPENTHES RAJAH Digests RATS
Image by JeremiahsCPs.
Nepenthes rajah is a tropical pitcher plant native to Borneo. Pitcher plants drown and digest prey that falls into their cup-shaped leaves. This particular pitcher plant is remarkable for its immense traps, which can grow more than a foot long and contain liters of fluid.
Nepenthes rajah is notable for sometimes trapping larger prey than insects, including rats and frogs. It’s likely that the plant mainly subsists on insects, though, so you’re safe… for now.
Disappointingly, the hood above the pitcher doesn’t snap closed on prey. It just keeps rainwater out of the plant’s trap.
4) THE COBRA PLANT HAS WINDOWS
Image by Noah Eldhardt
Named for the resemblence between its traps and a snake, the cobra plant (Darlingtonia californica) imprisons insects within its bulbous leaves. The plant lures prey into its trap through an opening on the bottom, near where its forked “tongue” emerges. However, the upper bulb of the trap is studded with semi-transparent windows that fill the trap with sunlight. Confused insects will try in vain to escape through these false exits, tiring themselves until they fall into the digestive slurry below.
Ever watched a bug try to leave your house through a closed window? It’s like that.
3) THE FAMOUS VENUS FLYTRAP
Image by platycryptus.
If you’ve only heard of one carnivorous plant, it’s probably the venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) and for good reason. There’s no more striking carnivore than this toothy little freak.
This dramatic plant attracts insects to its jaw-shaped leaves with bright colors and alluring scents. When prey brushes the six tiny hairs on the inside of its trap, the plant snaps its “mouth” shut, trapping the unfortunate critter. Within hours, the leaf forms an airtight seal and begins excreting digestive enzymes, essentially transforming itself into a makeshift stomach for digesting its food. When the leaf re-opens, all that remains is the husk of its prey.
When the venus flytrap produces flowers, it raises them high above the ground on a long stem in order to keep them far from its traps. It’s not polite to eat your pollinators.
2) NEPENTHES AMPULLARIA HAS GONE VEGAN
Image by berniedup.
Unlike its bloodthirsty relatives, Nepenthes ampullaria has evolved away from a carnivorous lifestyle. This plant’s primary source of nutrients is not live insects, but rather leaf litter that falls into its pitchers from the forest canopy above.
Pitcher plants like Nepenthes ampullaria are also notable for hosting whole ecosystems of spiders, insects, and other organisms inside their traps. In fact, the tiny Matang narrow-mouthed frog spends most of its life cycle, from tadpole to adult, inside Nepenthes ampullaria pitchers!
1) NEPENTHES LOWII EATS… uh…
Image by JeremiahsCPs.
…shrew poop. It eats shrew poop. On purpose.
It’s not a coincidence that this plant’s pitcher looks like a toilet. The underside of its leafy lid secretes a white substance that tree shrews apparently find delicious. In order to enjoy this tasty snack, a shrew must position its posterior over the pitcher’s opening. I’m sure you can figure out the rest.
Apparently, shrew poop (or “shroowp”) is chock-full of nitrogen, an essential nutrient for Nepenthes lowii. Whatever works, I guess.