Large Carnivorous Plants
- Large carnivorous plants include pitcher plants.pitcher plant image by Doug Stacey from Fotolia.com
Some carnivorous plants reach large sizes in order to trap and digest large insects, invertebrates and small animals. The plants rely on traps, such as the pitfall trap used by pitcher plants, consisting of a modified leaf that entices prey to fall into a pool of digestive enzymes. Carnivorous plants make great specimens for the garden thanks to their unusual forms and unique colors. Buy the plants from a reputable grower rather than digging up plants in the wild, as many are very rare. - The giant montane pitcher plant (Nepenthes raja) is the largest meat-eating plant in the world. The plant relies on a pitcher the same size as a shrew to trap its food. While the plant eats shrews and rats, research reported by the BBC shows that the plant primarily prefers to eat the shrew's droppings. The giant plant relies on a modified leaf with an opening just big enough for a shrew to enter. The shrew is drawn to the plant because of the nectar on the inside of the lid. To reach the nectar, the shrew must situate itself with its backside facing down into the pitcher. When the shrew defecates to mark its territory, the feces fall into the digestive enzymes at the bottom. The plant then digests the feces to obtain the nitrogen it needs to thrive.
- Deep-red flowers and the bright-white top make the white-topped pitcher plant (Sarracenia leucophylla) easy to identify. Classified as an endangered species, the large pitcher plant grows in acidic, sandy soils in openings in pine forests. In the wild, it grows from the eastern Gulf Coast in Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. White-topped pitcher plants rely on their pitfall traps that reach up to 24 inches in height. The plant's red-veined leaves and bright flowers help attract insects who climb into the pitfall trap and cannot get out. The insects fall into the digestive enzymes near the bottom of the trap. The plant then digests the insect.
- A native of the mountainous areas of the Guiana Shield in north-central South America, Heliamphora tatei grows in wet, boggy areas on the tops of mountains. The mountains' plateaus, more than 6,000 feet in height, provide the cloud-covered climate in which the plant thrives. Six species of heliamphora grow in this area, with heliamphora tatei the largest, growing to more than 10 feet in height. The plant achieves this height by leaning or climbing on other plants. The plant attracts prey thanks to its reddish color and the nectar found in its leaves. Tiny downward-pointing hairs on the inside of the leaves make sure insects can only work their way farther down the trap and into the digestive enzymes.