Carnivorous plants (first part) |

October 30

Carnivorous plants (first part)

Fabio D'Alessi
AIPC Italian Association of Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are plants that eat animals.

Sara 's true? Defined so 'might seem monstrous and dangerous beings. Indeed and 'so', but the "animals" that feed on these plants are mostly 'no more insects' larger than a wasp or a fly.
That 'the reason why we often use the term insectivorous plants, and certainly less bloody awesome.

For the truth ', carnivorous plants need insects to feed on.' Are plants, in fact, that in nature live in particularly poor in those nutrients necessary for the growth of all plants. The find in swamps, bogs acid on bare rocks, clinging to trunks of other plants, underwater ... Carnivorous plants can survive in this barren and inhospitable environments obtaining their nutrients from insects. In this way, even if the ground and 'sterile, these plants are nonetheless able to grow and multiply.

Many think that carnivorous plants are the only "Venus Flytrap", known by all.
In contrast, there are others. Indeed, many others. There are hundreds of species, distributed from northern Canada to South Africa. Some are tropical, others are found in arid deserts, and more on the summits of our Alps Some are small as the tip of a needle, meters and other meters long. Green and bare or flashy and colorful, aquatic, terrestrial, groundwater, there is' something for everyone. No, decidedly, carnivorous plants are not limited to only "Venus Flytrap", as it is cute and charming.

Carnivorous plants are not only many, but also very different among them. Several are their capture systems, and different ways to kill and digest prey. Some have leghold traps, other digestive tube filled with liquid, others covered with glue and sour ... in fact 'all fascinating to study the mechanisms that these plants have developed to capture their prey.

There are many fantasies and stories about carnivorous plants, and not 'rare to find people who believe that there are huge, able to devour dogs and cats, perhaps hidden in some tropical forest. All this' is mainly due to the colossal ignorance that surrounds these plants.

Even and especially in Italy, this ignorance and 'often total and absolute: the first book on carnivorous and' release until 2002 and there was, until a few years ago, no reference point there 'any group of farmers or hobbyists , no. In this distressing lack of everything, the only source of something carnivore a few shops and nurseries are able to sell the legendary "venus flytrap". Again, however, 'the sale and' accompanied by advice on growing quite vague, picturesque and often wrong, but unfortunately not the same shopkeepers who know more than 'the unsuspecting beginner and only give four tips on the cross, even accompanying them to recommendations by fake pundits (bell jars, chocolate in the traps, and horrors like winter in the house).

This, fortunately, seems destined to end soon, thanks to the birth dell'AIPC (the Italian Association of Carnivorous Plants), and the spread of the Internet, which has finally made it quick and easy circulation of news, data and material among fans .

Putting together all the information we have just read, so let's review what are the carnivorous plants.

Carnivorous plants are a large group of plants, very different, living in nutrient-poor environments and have developed the ability 'to use insects and other small invertebrates such as alternative source of food. They have developed different systems to attract, capture, kill and digest their prey. There are many, are spread across the globe (often in swamps or bogs), and are generally very poorly understood.

Now that we know better what we're talking about, we go into some detail on their recognition and their cultivation.

First recognition

The term recognition (or determination) refers to the logical process by which a plant observing any leads to determine correctly the Latin binomial or scientific name (eg 'Bellis perennis' for the common field daisy). Note that the Latin binomial and 'always consists of two parts, the first always in uppercase and the second describes the style always lowercase describing the species.

Correctly recognize a carnivorous plant and 'a process often difficult and laborious. Sometimes it takes many years and a great deal of experience to be able to correctly identify a particular plant, and there are carnivorous plants so similar to each other that even the most 'experts are able to distinguish with certainty without a thorough investigation under the microscope.

Thus leaving the specific determination of carnivorous plants to the most 'experts, but we can' get in five minutes, to get an idea of carnivorous plants exist and learn to recognize at least in outline. We will not be able to distinguish a Sarracenia rubra alabamensis Sarracenia rubra gulfensis one but at least we will be able, by a parallel, to tell a frog from a horse.

As said, the carnivorous plants have developed various systems of capture (or traps) for small invertebrates.

Let then to divide the carnivorous plants into categories depending on the type of trap.

For each type of trap plants in their turn divide into genera and possibly in the species. Recall that the binomial genus-and species' used in all environments to uniquely identify an entity (such as Homo sapiens for humans). In the case of carnivorous plants, two plants belonging to two different genera are often very different from each other, while two plants belonging to the same genus but different species have different but not markedly.
So, Sarracenia, and Pinguicula vulgaris psittacina are two totally different from each plant (genus and species), while Drosera capensis and Drosera regia two plants are very similar.

Let us now review so all types of carnivorous plants trap, and for each type listed plants that exist in nature.

- Plants with trap trap

The trap to trap and 'a mechanism formed by a leaf modified so as to close a shutter when it is urged by a pet. The leaf folds on the victim, trapping and suffocating. In the days following the capture, the plant secretes digestive enzymes into the trap, which consume the prey. It 's a trap very evolved, and is immediately recognizable (typical appearance in the trap).

This is the only species with trap trap. And 'the famous Dionaea muscipula, commonly called "Dionea" or "venus flytrap", certainly the most carnivorous plant' note.
In nature and 'spread in the southeastern United States, in marshy ground and sunny. It prefers a climate similar to ours, full sunlight, and even sub-zero winters, during which enter into a state of dormancy.

The Dionea forms a rosette of leaves flattened against the ground or raised and can 'get to 20-30 cm in diameter with dozens of leaves. The traps can be 5-6 cm long. Simple and inconspicuous flowers, white.

It 'the only plant in the world with leghold traps of this type (except for a rare aquatic species), so when you see a plant like that, you can immediately say "Dionea!" And maybe BLOATING his chest with the full Latin binomial Dionaea muscipula.

A single genus with one species: Dionaea muscipula.
Very common (even if threatened with extinction in the wild) and easy to grow.

- Plants with glue trap

Very broad category of carnivorous plants where the leaves are modified to produce a sticky glue that traps insects and digests them slowly. That and paste 'a rather simple but effective way to catch their prey, and e' in fact used by many different kinds of carnivorous plants. This type of trap is easily recognized by passing a finger on the upper surface of a leaf. If the finger is attached to a sort of transparent and sticky slime, we are faced with a carnivorous plant of this type.

Essentially carnivorous plants with adhesive mechanism can be divided into two broad categories. Let's see.

- Glue trap - leaves with invisible glands

The plants of this kind belong to a single genus, the genus Pinguicula. These plants all have leaves covered with thousands of microscopic hairs, hardly visible to the naked eye, that secrete a fluid similar to drool. This liquid covers the leaves forming a film of glue. When an insect walks on the leaf, will remains entangled and the liquid slowly dissolves and digests its prey.

The plant has a typical characteristic pale green-yellow, and looks far from a carnivore. Indeed, with its soft, thick leaves and flowers like violets seems more 'a succulent that a carnivorous plant. Despite this, the leaves of pinguicole are truly exceptional and pinguicole traps are among the most carnivorous plants' successful, able to destroy dozens of small insects per leaf.

Pinguicula: one kind with glue traps with invisible glands. He has dozens and dozens of species distributed all over the globe and in many environments. There are also in Italy (Pinguicula vulgaris, Pinguicula alpina and other).

Common and some extremely easy to grow. Pinguicula moranensis represents a typical plant for beginners.

- Glue trap - leaves with conspicuous glands

In this case the leaves are covered with very thin hairs that lead to the ends' of the species of droplets. These droplets are composed of various substances used to trap, sticky, and kill their prey, once caught. The leaves of this type are often equipped with a certain mobility ', and once captured prey is not' rare to see them (in the course of several hours) fold and wrap the prey itself.
Let's see some examples:

Spatulata sundew, a plant belonging to the genus Drosera.

This plant, in particular, form a small rosette of leaves up to 7-8 cm wide, and lying at ground level. The leaves may be green, or red, or copper. It prefers full sun and in peat environments, where it blooms continuously, producing abundant seeds.

Drosera twin. This species, unlike the previous one, has leaves and highly branched off the ground, forming a kind of impenetrable web of real tentacles covered with glue. The basic mechanism (hair with drops of glue) and 'the same in both species, but the shape of leaves and' completely different.

There are different kinds of plants with traps and glue glands clearly visible.
Let's see:

* Drosera: kind of enormous success, with dozens and dozens of species, scattered across the globe and in all environments. Australian species there are microscopic and South African species very large and showy. If you are faced with a carnivorous plant trap glue glands clearly visible, you are almost always in the presence of a sundew.
In Italy there are Drosera rotundifolia, Drosera anglica and Drosera intermedia.
Some species of Drosera are common and easy to grow, unlike other genres listed below. The Drosera capensis and 'the species by far the most' suitable for beginners.
* Water soluble lusitanicum: single genus, only species. Very similar to a woody stem with sundew, and 'a very special and beautiful plant that lives in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Rare.
* Byblis: usually with a few species, typical of Australia and New Guinea. Rare.
* Roridula: almost extinct genus with two species, a native of South Africa. Rare.

So in summary: leaves sticky glue trap = and blennies.
We check the leaves more 'up close: If the leaves are apparently normal with invisible glands are certainly in front of a Pinguicula, but if the leaves are hairy with glands are almost always visible in front of a Drosera, rarely other genres.