Types of Carnivorous Plants by Trapping Strategy
A carnivorous plant is a plant that attracts, traps, and digests insects and other organisms. At the time of writing this article, there are 583 species of carnivorous plants. Though there are too many types to go over in this article, there are several main varieties of carnivorous plants. In this article, we will go into the main types of plants and mention some of the genera in each type.
Sticky Tendril Traps
Sticky traps have specialized leaves with sticky tendrils which can grab insects and dissolve them over a period of time. This category includes Drosera, Byblis, and Drosophyllum.
Sticky Flypaper Traps
Flypaper traps such as Pinguicula (or butterworts) have flat sticky and mucousy leaves that can trap and digest organisms. They often emit a slightly fungus-smelling odour that is perceptible to insects.
Rapid Movement Traps
This variety of carnivorous plants use rapid movement in order to catch and digest their prey. The plants in this category all are different but use the same mechanism to trap insects. This category includes Venus Flytraps, Utricularia (the little flowers in the image below), and Aldrovanda.
Pitcher Plants
There are many types of pitcher plants. The main strategy of this type of plant is to create leaves that work as pitfall traps for organisms. They often have digestive fluids to help dissolve their prey. This category includes Heliamphora, Nepenthes, Sarracenia, Cephalotus, Darlingtonia and more.
