The most famous of the carnivorous plants is Dionaea muscipula, but its Russian name is Venus flytrap. According to one version, this plant predator was named in honor of the Roman goddess because its trap leaves are shaped like a female genital organ.
The habitat of the Dionea is the savannah of the United States, where a marshy, humid area has been preserved. By the way, it was in the United States, or rather in the state of North Carolina, that the flycatcher dionea received the status of a "state predatory plant." Why the first-woman Governor Beverly Eves Purdue needed it is unknown to assign this status to the plant.
How does the process of hunting for insects take place? The trap itself is located on a short stem and outwardly resembles an open shell of mollusks. Along the edges of the valves, there is one row of denticles, comparable to long eyelashes. However, all this is only an entourage, the real weapons are glands and trigger hairs.
The glands are located along the inner side of the eyelash teeth and secrete sweet-smelling nectar, which is so difficult for insects to pass by. When the victim crawls inside the trap, triggers come into play - they react to touch. The trap does not close immediately, only a few consecutive touches to the triggers (and there are three of them on each flap) are able to close the trap.
Dionea, having received an insect in her trap, begins the digestion process. The same glands that produced nectar begin to abundantly secrete digestive juice, in which they drown their lunch. Usually, it takes several days to digest, after which the flaps open again, revealing the chitinous shell of the former insect to the world.
The first to grow the Venus flytrap at home was the American President Thomas Jefferson in 1804, who was not only a politician and fighter for US independence, but also an amateur botanist. Today, thanks to the many efforts of scientists, more specimens grow in clay pots and greenhouses than in the wild. Maroon, burgundy and crimson subspecies were bred.
And finally, a few facts about the Venus flytrap:
- A flycatcher eats 3-4 times in its life and then dies.
- The Venus Flytrap "eats" insects to obtain the nitrogen it needs for life
- Dionea flycatcher juice is capable of digesting human flesh.
- Charles Darwin devoted an entire book to this plant, which he himself illustrated in part.
- Bred Venus flytrap, which is capable of storing sunlight and glowing blue in the dark.
- Dionea is listed in the Red Book.