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9 types of carnivorous plants

More and more people are encouraged to have carnivorous plants at home. These species, which are characterized by feeding on insects and other small beings to obtain nitrogen, are very varied and of many types, and are highly appreciated for their exotic appearance.

In this AgroCorrn article we leave you a list with the names of the 9 most common types of carnivorous plants , their main characteristics and photos.

You may also be interested in: Types of large indoor plants
Index
  1. Types of carnivorous plants – list of names and examples
  2. Sarracenia
  3. Drosera
  4. Nepenthes
  5. Cephalotus follicularis
  6. Vesicular Aldrovanda
  7. Dionaea muscle the Venus flytrap
  8. Darlingtonia californica
  9. Drosophyllum lusitanicum
  10. Pinguicula grandiflora
  11. Caring for carnivorous plants
  12. More photos of carnivorous plants

Types of carnivorous plants – list of names and examples

If you were wondering what are the types of carnivorous plants that exist, pay attention to their classification according to the type of trap they have to catch their prey:

  • Carnivorous plants that use the folding of the leaves.
  • Carnivorous plants that use the sticky hair technique.
  • Carnivorous plants that have pitcher-shaped leaves with liquid inside.

Now, we show you some examples of types of carnivorous plants and in the next sections we will see species within these types and their characteristics with photos.

  • Sarracenia
  • Drosera
  • Nepenthes
  • Cephalotus follicularis
  • Vesicular Aldrovanda
  • Dionaea muscle the Venus flytrap
  • Darlingtonia californica
  • Drosophyllum lusitanicum
  • Pinguicula grandiflora

Sarracenia

Sarracenias are carnivorous plants native to North America. They have a characteristic tube shape, at the end of which the nectar that attracts insects is generated . Upon entering the tubular plant, insects can no longer get out and are digested when trapped. Some of its species are:

  • Sarracenia purpurea
  • Sarracenia leucophylla
  • Sarracenia flava

Drosera

Also known as Sun Dew , this genus of carnivorous plants is one of the most numerous, and they stand out for their way of hunting: they generate a few drops of a sticky liquid rich in sugars that make insects that come to feed on them stick together. he. At that moment, the plant reacts by closing on the trapped insects, and ends up killing them by suffocation or exhaustion. In this other post we tell you more about How carnivorous plants eat .

Among the species of carnivorous plant Drosera are known:

  • Drosera capensis
  • Drosera rotundifolia
  • Drosera spatulata
  • Drosera binata
  • Drosera aliciae

Nepenthes

The Nepenthes , also called pitcher plants or monkey cups , are native to the tropical regions and are very striking for their traps beautiful jar filled with a syrupy liquid that attracts insects. One of its common names comes from the fact that monkeys have sometimes been seen drinking rainwater from their traps. In addition, and especially in the wild, some grow so much that they are known as giant carnivorous plants, although of large size there are also other species that are rarer.

Some species are:

  • Nepenthes ventricosa
  • Nepenthes bicalcarata
  • Nepenthes rajah
  • Nepenthes alata
  • Nepenthes ventrata
  • Nepenthes attenboroughii

Cephalotus follicularis

This small carnivorous plant has its origin in Australia and feeds through cups or jugs that its leaves form, in which insects drown. It is the only species among the different carnivorous plants, in which the leaves and traps are totally differentiated.

Vesicular Aldrovanda

Also called Water Wheel , this is an aquatic carnivorous plant that we can find floating in still waters. Its small traps are located at the end of each leaf, which when touched close and trap the small prey to feed.

Image: BugWoodCloud

Dionaea muscle the Venus flytrap

Without a doubt, this is one of the best known carnivorous plant names . The Venus flytrap is one of the most famous and represented in the world. Their peculiar traps, which resemble jaws surrounded by teeth, close when they detect that an insect or other small animal, such as an amphibian or a small mammal, has landed on them, thus starting their digestive process.

Here you can see a guide on Caring for the Venus flytrap and also this video about it.

Darlingtonia californica

The Darlingtonia, or cobra plant , gets its popular name from its snake-like appearance standing up and sticking out its tongue, exactly like a cobra. Its tubular leaves form jars that point outwards and act as traps, because inside these the insects are trapped and are digested in a short time.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum

The Drosophyllum lusitanicum or Flytrap is the only one of its kind. It is from drier climates than most carnivorous plants and has a reputation for being difficult to grow. Its sticky leaves are covered with mucilage and when the insects stick to them they end up being digested.

Pinguicula grandiflora

This insectivorous herb is also known by the names of water violet, large-flowered grease, tirana, or spring flower . It inhabits temperate climates, and stands out above all for its large purple flower, much larger than usual in other plants of its characteristics. It doesn’t really have a trap, but its sticky leaves sometimes catch small insects, on which it feeds.

Caring for carnivorous plants

Most carnivorous plants require a lot of care to be able to have them at home or in the garden properly. These are some key points of the care of carnivorous plants:

  • Many of them are tropical plants, and require their substrate to be permanently moist and their leaves to be dusted with water almost daily .
  • There are also many that require substrates with a high percentage of moss, precisely due to those humid and tropical environments from which they come. This is a point that should not be overlooked, and it is very likely that your carnivorous plant will end up having problems if you do not give it a substrate with moss .
  • In addition, carnivorous plants do not tolerate the incidence of direct sunlight well , especially in the most intense hours. Some of them, in fact, can acquire an intense red coloration in their leaves or traps when exposed to direct light, although it should never be done in the strongest daylight hours.

In these other AgroCorrn articles we show you everything about Caring for carnivorous plants and How to make substrate for carnivorous plants .

More photos of carnivorous plants

After knowing the names of the carnivorous plants talking about different types and their care summarized in the previous video, we show you a gallery of images of carnivorous plants .

If you want to read more articles similar to 9 types of carnivorous plants , we recommend that you enter our Indoor Plants category .

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Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

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