Allan A. Swenson - Cultivating Carnivorous Plants-Book World Promotions (1976) PDF
Allan A. Swenson - Cultivating Carnivorous Plants-Book World Promotions (1976) PDF
Allan A. Swenson - Cultivating Carnivorous Plants-Book World Promotions (1976) PDF
Carnivorous
Plants
Allan A. Swenson
Cultivating
Carnivorous Plants
Allan A. Swenson
D O U B L E D A Y & C O M P A N Y , INC.
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
1977
Photos by the author
and Peter Jon Swenson
unless otherwise noted.
Swenson, Allan A
Cultivating carnivorous plants.
Bibliography: p. 152
Includes index.
I. Insectivorous plants. I. Title.
SB432.S9 635-9'33'i2i
I S B N 0-385-11148-7
FIRST EDITION
W i l l i a m S. N o r t h r o p ( 1 9 0 1 - 1 9 7 1 ) , a self-taught
naturalist, horticulturist, botanist, biologist, philos-
opher, and friend, to w h o m I am truly indebted.
Acknowledgments
Introduction xi
The Culture and Care of Carnivorous Plants 1
Venus Flytraps 13
Sundews 32
Pitcher Plants 43
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, and Cobra Lilies 60
Butterworts and Bladderworts 76
Nepenthes 92
Microscopic Carnivores 101
Carnivorous Curiosities Among Smaller Families 105
Experiments with Carnivorous Plants 112
Organizations, Periodicals, and a World List of
Carnivorous Plants 132
Carnivorous Plants on Display 143
Periodic or Permanent Plant Displays 144
Leading Horticultural Libraries and Information Centers 146
Sources for Plants 150
Bibliography and Reading List 152
Index 157
Introduction
your horticultural skills, I hope you will add to the needed store of in-
formation on this fascinating field of carnivorous plants.
G o o d luck and good growing.
A L L A N A. SWENSON
Windrows Farm
Kennebunk, Maine
Cultivating
Carnivorous 'Plants
The Culture and Care
of Carnivorous Plants
Containers
First step with carnivorous plants is the container. T r u e , m a n y can be
grown successfully as potted plants. B u t here's a warning. Because car-
2 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
nivorous plants require lots of water to satisfy their needs for secreting
insect-attractant aromas, digestive fluids, and providing the pressures for
their snapping or closing, wrapping or folding actions, adequate mois-
ture is essential.
Luckily, terrariums have made a comeback. Carnivorous plants really
enjoy life in terrariums. B u t as these plants need mobile food, we can't
grow t h e m in totally closed terrariums. H o w would the insects enter?
So, we're limited a bit, b u t not m u c h .
Several years back you may have been limited in your container
choice to fish tanks and bowls, gallon jars, and other less-than-attractive
planting containers. T o d a y , with the b o o m in terrarium culture, you
have a far-ranging selection of containers. T h e y extend from beautiful
will insure the higher humidity they require. Glass planters usually
prove best. T h e y are easily cleaned, provide excellent viewing from all
angles, and do hold that important humidity around the plants. N e w
designs in plastic terrariums n o w provide even wider choices.
M a n y homes unfortunately are overheated, b u t as fuel costs go u p ,
temperatures will undoubtedly be lowered, which is to the good for
your carnivorous plants. M o s t of t h e m prefer temperatures from 6 5 0
to
75° F. S o m e tolerate a greater range of temperatures.
T h e hotter you k e e p your h o m e , the more moisture is drained for any
plants. A hot-air furnace is the most drying type of heating system.
That's why semi-enclosed terrariums are desired for growing these
unique plants with their special humidity requirements.
For years we have used a variety of growing units. We have seen and
photographed others. In all cases, the containers that assume t h a t vital,
sustained high humidity will prove the most successful.
Y o u can obtain containers in most garden centers, hardware stores,
florist shops, even in supermarkets and glassware stores. F r o m gallon
terrarium units to fifty-gallon fish tanks, from apothecary jars of various
4 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Planting Medium
N e x t basic consideration is your planting medium. T h r o u g h the
years, I have grown tens of thousands of these carnivorous plants, of all
sizes and varieties. W e ' v e also worked with others w h o have grown
m a n y types: as a hobby, for school projects, and as suppliers to thou-
sands of people w h o enjoy t h e m around the entire world.
Y e s , various combinations of peat moss and sand, vermiculite and
peat, perlite mixed with sand and acid soil can be used. But for years of
study, and periodic tests of new, potentially better mixes, we still come
back to sphagnum moss.
T h i s natural ingredient is a living moss found in every state across
the country. It thrives in bogs, along stream banks, in bays of lakes, in
swamps and roadside ditches. It is used and sold by florists and many
garden centers. T h e i r material is usually dried and supplied to them in
large bags or bales.
If you can't find sphagnum moss locally, most carnivorous plant
growers supply it with their bulbs and plants anyway. A good source is
the Plant Oddities C l u b , which has specialized in carnivorous plants for
years. T h e y provide it with their plants and sell it in small quantities by
mail order. Y o u ' l l find them listed in the sources at the end of this
book.
T h i s is the m i x we prefer, based on growing tens of thousands of
plants over the twenty-five years we have been involved with them.
For flytraps, sundews, butterworts, pitcher plants, and cobra lilies, we
use sphagnum moss alone. It has the capacity to hold water, yet is
spongy enough so roots can also breathe. It works well for all the plants
alone.
F o r terrarium plantings, we have found that variations also can pro-
vide satisfactory results.
If sphagnum moss isn't available, you can grow individual plants, or
groups of them for that matter, in the following planting m e d i u m or
variations of it. By variations, we suggest you try different amounts and
combinations of materials with a few plants. If it works for y o u — i f
your plants prosper—by all means plant others in it.
M i x one part builder's sand with one part peat. Place about an inch
of washed gravel on the b o t t o m of the terrarium or large container.
A d d several inches of the sand and peat mixture. T h e n , add another
inch or two of sphagnum moss. T h o s e plants that prefer the moss lo-
cale will set shallow roots anyway. T h e deeper-rooted pitchers will use
the sand and peat base to steady themselves as they attain their tall ma-
turity.
The Culture and Care of Carnivorous Plants 7
Lighting
N e x t consideration for your plants is adequate light. Since carnivo-
rous plants range in their requirements from partial or semi-sun to
nearly full sun, don't decide to put them in a bright southern exposure
window. Y o u can fool yourself and harm t h e m . T h a t rule holds for
house plants and terrariums too.
Bright sun for many hours each day will pour through that southern
window. Sit in front of it and see h o w h o t it gets. If plants are inside of
glass or plastic, even an open container, the heat inside builds up. It be-
comes too h o t for plants. Y o u d o n ' t like it ultra h o t — n e i t h e r do your
plants.
A good rule of t h u m b is that plants enjoy temperature ranges w h i c h
are pleasant for us. East or west windows or a distance away from t h e
southern exposure window is better. A n o t h e r factor comes into play. In
fall and winter and at times in early spring, cold drafts b l o w through
those windows. Plants can stand some temperature extremes b u t icy
drafts should be avoided.
In greenhouses or larger indoor terrariums for which you provide sup-
plemental light, plants will thrive at 6o° to 8o° F. At higher tempera-
tures they tend to dry.
T h e r e are exotic tropical carnivorous plants, like nepenthes, that y o u
might assume prefer the hotter temperatures, bright sun, and other con-
ditions you equate with the equator. N o t quite so.
T r u e , those tropical plants can take a bit more heat. B u t remember,
many are native to the lower stories of those tropical forests, as others
are to the floor of N o r t h American forests and fields. T h e y are pro-
tected by taller trees, shrubs, vines. T h e same is true with flytraps, sun-
dews, and pitcher plants. M a n y are partially shielded by brush, grass,
wild flowers and weeds.
I will point out in other parts of the book that sunlight is an impor-
tant factor in helping plants attain their best colors. B u t sun light and
sun heat are different. So is the drying-out process caused by overheat-
ing plants.
Y o u r carnivorous plants will take on their best natural colors w h e n
given the natural sun that comes through those eastern and western ex-
posure windows 6 to 10 hours each day. If you can't provide the natural
light, you certainly can supplement it or even replace it artificially.
T h a t wasn't so true ten years ago.
T o d a y , the Dura-Test fluorescent bulbs, sold as Vita-Lites, Natur-
escent lights, Sylvania's Gro-Lux, and several others are efficient. T h e y
have been developed to duplicate as close as possible the plant growth
10 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Outside Growing
M a n y fanciers of carnivorous plants prefer to set their pets outside
during warm weather. S o m e even plant complete bog gardens featuring
carnivorous plants.
As long as you provide semi-shade so the sun does n o t bake your
charges, the plants should do quite well. We h a v e found that plants
placed pot and all into the soil in a bog or moist woodland location will
thrive all summer. Y o u can, by using sufficient sphagnum moss, plant
most sundews, pitchers, butterworts, and flytraps right into the ground.
Bladderworts can be placed into a slow-moving pond or beneath a dec-
orative fountain.
K e e p in mind that humidity may be less outdoors on long h o t days
and in times of drought. R e m e m b e r to water your plants periodically. A
daily sprinkling doesn't hurt.
C o m e fall, only a few of the carnivorous plants can tolerate northern
winters. T h e northern pitcher plant, s o m e sundews and the northern
butterwort varieties can overwinter.
M o s t other pitcher plants are natives originally to much more south-
em areas, the Carolinas and central California down to the G u l f coast.
T h e y must be returned to the cozy climate you provide t h e m indoors if
you w a n t their pleasant c o m p a n y in years to come.
O n c e back indoors remember that the winter may be the time of
needed rest for some of your plants. However, if you plan to keep them
growing, t h e question always arises: w h a t will they eat?
I realize you have a tidy h o m e and flies just aren't available indoors.
M a y b e a few slip in each summer, b u t c o m e winter they are all com-
pletely gone.
An outdoor planting of sundews, which require moist, sandy, acidic soil.
I've been told they hatch from eggs laid in banana skins and in turn
lay more eggs in well-ripened fruit around the house. In schools, of
course, you probably have access to those handy little fruit flies for sci-
ence study.
W e ' v e talked to carnivorous cultivators who have fed meal worm bits
to plants they t h o u g h t deserved a winter treat. M e a l worms and other
natural insect foods are readily available at pet and tropical fish stores.
As you apply some of these cultural tips to your plants, you'll get the
feel for tending them more helpfully week by week. ITiey certainly de-
r
serve your best efforts. W h a t other plants do you know that perform
such amazing, inspired feats?
Venus Flytraps
N o w you see it, n o w you don't. T h a t accurately describes the way the
world's most amazing plant lures, catches, and eats live insects.
O n e instant the unsuspecting fly or m o t h is hovering near the poised,
open V e n u s flytrap. Sweet aromas secreted by the trap lead the unwary
insect nearer. It lands while y o u watch and touches the tiny trigger
hairs, barely visible on the inside of the cocked trap. T h a t ' s all it takes.
If vou blink you can miss the action.
T h i s remarkable plant can and does snap shut in a fraction of a sec-
Close-up, side view of a cocked flytrap leaf. Just a tickle of its trigger hairs causes a trap to
snap.
14 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
sect seldom has a chance. Equally remarkable is the power of the plant
to seize and hold the victim.
Insects, as you probably k n o w , have great strength. C o m p a r e d to
man and higher animals, insects have astonishing strength. T i n y beetles
burrow through hardwood. T h e smallest, nearly invisible fly " t e e t h " can
penetrate horsehide. Y e t flies, moths, beetles, and many other types of
insects are no match for the grip of t h e flytrap when it is hungry.
T h e V e n u s flytrap rightly deserves the description given it by famed
naturalist Charles D a r w i n as " t h e most wonderful plant in the world."
O v e r the centuries, this remarkable insect-eating plant has n o t only cap-
tured insects b u t the attention of some of the more astute observers in
the entire field of botany and biology.
T h e first written mention of the V e n u s flytrap dates to about 1765
w h e n John Bartram discovered the marvelous plants while visiting the
American colonies. He collected specimens and sent t h e m off to Eng-
land for further study.
John Ellis, a leading botanist of that day, is credited with describing
and n a m i n g the plant. T h r o u g h the years many noted botanists, natu-
ralists, and scientists in various related fields have conducted studies of
this particular plant.
Carl Linnaeus, the acknowledged father of m o d e m biology, called
the flytrap a "miracle of nature." In correspondence with botanist John
Ellis in 1768, Linnaeus noted, " t h o u g h I have doubtless seen and ex-
amined no small n u m b e r of plants, I must confess I never m e t with so
wonderful a p h e n o m e n o n . "
As early as 1873, Sir John Scott Bourdon-Sanderson in England first
discovered electromotive properties in the leaf of dionaea, using speci-
mens that had been sent to the K e w Royal Botanical Gardens. Accord-
ing to h i m , " T h e r e is a definite electrical discharge that occurs in the
V e n u s flytrap w h e n the inner surface of the trap is stimulated. T h i s ac-
tion potential runs a course characteristic of animal nerve reaction."
T h a t was the first of many studies w h i c h verified the fact that this
strange plant does indeed have w h a t in plants can be compared to an
actual nervous system.
M u c h later, in this century, a N o r t h Carolina physicist, Dr. O t t o
Stuhlman, also studied this electrical property of the flytraps. Refer-
ences to his works are included in the bibliography for those of you
w h o wish to pursue this aspect of the plant's behavior.
Dr. Stuhlman traced the size of electrical charges that flash through
the plant. He reported that the forces holding the trap open can be at-
tributed to the action of an internal hydrostatic pressure. T h i s turgor
pressure causes the rapid closing of the trap. Measurements in his re-
V e n u s Flytraps 15
search reveal that the traps snap shut at the rate of 13 feet per second,
closing in less than a half second. His studies are based on repeated
tests which verify his and other earlier studies.
T h e phenomenon of the flytrap has provoked continued studies by
scientists as well as students. O n e of the more remarkable reports we
have seen recently was written by a tenth grade student in the Ran-
dolph School in Huntsville, A l a b a m a . Miss Linda D o n n e l l y carefully
researched the earlier studies by a wide range of specialists in various
scientific fields. We are indebted to her for permission to print some of
her activities and conclusions.
" T h e scientific problem of my project," she reports, "was to research
and investigate Dionaea muscipula and to find out if it were possible to
measure the electrical resistance of such a plant during t h e digestion of
an insect."
16 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
probing for the unlocked secrets of this plant. In that regard, from
many reports received through the years and our own efforts as well,
you'll find an entire chapter with suggested study projects on the vari-
ous plants.
At this point, perhaps, we should review the plant itself, its parts,
and some basics of h o w it works from w h a t has been learned to date.
T h e flytrap begins like most plants from seed. M o r e likely, any you
obtain from specialists, garden centers, science supply firms, or other
sources will be sold as bulbs.
A l t h o u g h most people believe a large bulb will produce the best and
biggest plants, that is n o t necessarily true. W e ' l l explain why later on.
T h e bulb, like most bulbs, is composed of layers or scales. T h e y sur-
round the central growing tip which is t h e flower stalk. It lies dormant
until the proper time of year. T h e n , within a few short weeks it's up
and blooming, pollinating and being pollinated.
T h e average-size b u l b ranges between the size of a kidney bean and
an acorn. However, even smaller bulbs the size of peas produce satis-
factory plants. Larger bulbs cost more, but grow at about the same rate
as the medium or smaller sizes.
Bulbs that have been preserved in cold storage have, in effect, been
thrown into an artificial dormancy. W h e n removed and planted they
seem to sprout more quickly. Unless of course, they have been kept
longer than a year or frozen in the process. N o r m a l storage temperature
is 36° to 4 0 F. Bulbs should not be frozen, since that can break down
0
(which should be constant and over 50 per cent if possible), the bulbs
will produce from 4 to 12 traps within 6 to 10 weeks from planting
time.
Occasionally a few traps turn brown or emerge with tall spindly
growth. It happens. T h e problem may be too m u c h heat, which can
occur when y o u place the planter in a full sun window and soak too
m u c h heat into the growing unit.
A n o t h e r problem can be too m u c h light, or conversely too little so
the plant struggles to get its fair share of sun. Usually, better-looking
traps form within the initial 8 to 10 weeks of growth.
All traps form at the end of each leaf. D u r i n g certain times of the
year, usually early spring in natural habitats or when using bulbs from
refrigerated storage, the first leaves will have flared ends with small
traps. D o n ' t worry. T h a t ' s a natural situation.
Larger traps develop on the leaves that appear a bit later. Of course,
as the plant begins to dine in style and flourish from that nourishment,
the traps just naturally b e c o m e larger as new leaves continue to sprout
from the bulbs.
As the trap forms you'll see the beginnings of the fingers which line
the edge of it. Eventually these fingers, technically called cilia, will be
almost a quarter inch long on the larger traps.
O n c e the trap begins to open fully you'll be able to see the tiny trig-
ger hairs. T h e r e are usually three per lobe, the lobe being one half of
the trap.
W h e n you look down at a trap it seems to be hinged in the middle.
In effect that midrib performs a vital function. It actually performs like
a hinge. W h e n fully open, the cocked trap resembles your hands if you
Venus Flytraps 21
placed the heels of each palm together and opened your hands, w i t h
fingers extended and arched.
T h e open trap seems quite simple, until you think about the strange
functions all those little cells can perform. If you touch one of the trig-
ger hairs, nothing usually happens. If raindrops sprinkle down on the
traps, nothing happens. Y o u can prove that when you water the plants.
L o o k again at those fingers. T h e y are spaced from Vs to V4 inch
apart. T h a t means if a small insect accidently triggers the trap it can
most likely escape. In most cases, the smaller gnats and fruit flies only
touch one of the triggers. T h a t seems to be nature's plan. T h o s e small
insects just don't have sufficient food to be worth the plant's efforts to
snap shut on them.
However, here's where the fun begins. T a k e a pencil or small twig.
Gently touch two of these nearly invisible triggers. O r , o n e hair twice.
W h e n you do, the primitive nervous system gets the message: food at
hand! T r y a toothpick, held lightly. T h e trap will snap it right out of
your fingers and hold it.
W h e n a larger insect, a m o t h , butterfly, ant, beetle, or fly taps the
This series demonstrates the trig-
gering action of the flytrap. 1)
Cocked open. 2) W h e n stimulated
by an insect. 3) Final closure to
entrap the victim completely.
Even large moths landing on the enticing surface of the Venus flytrap are
potential meals for this plant. Note other traps still waiting, one with the
skeleton of a digested insect in it and another fully closed, digesting.
Venus Flytraps 23
After the trap reopens, only the husk of the victim is left, to be blown away
by the wind or washed away with the rain.
Venus Flytraps 35
additional insects before it begins to dry, turn brown, and die. T h a t
process is to be expected. E v e n if a trap doesn't ever catch an insect,
you'll find that the older traps die periodically, almost in programmed
sequence. Happily, others emerge from the b u l b to continue the
catching, eating, and nourishing process for the plant.
A strong, mature plant may have 6 to 15 traps of various sizes and
stages of maturity. We have seen plants still thriving after several years
of continual growth. T h e y have expanded to 20 or 30 traps. S o m e of
this can be attributed to the growth of the bulb, which elongates and
can be divided into several bulbs. In effect, there are w h a t amounts to
several bulbs producing that profusion of traps.
M a n y people, from students to advanced botanists, have tried repeat-
edly to produce plants with larger traps. T h e y have applied plant
growth hormones of various types, bombarded seeds and bulbs with ra-
dioactivity to achieve mutations. To date, no one has been successful in
his quest for a giant trap. We also have tried to achieve the same goal
in many ways, from special cultural efforts, including force feeding of
plump live flies, to variations in planting mix, fertilizer, organic soil nu-
trients, and lighting combinations. We also tested gibberellic acid and
similar growth stimulators.
T h e best results came when we placed plants in a large aquarium, as
a terrarium. T h e n , we maintained the humidity over 60 per cent, pro-
vided Vita-Lites 16 hours each clay, and introduced dozens of flies peri-
odically. T h e y were nice and healthy, too, direct from a neighboring
dairy farm. After a year the traps were close to 2 inches long. T h e light
helped turn the plants the typical bright red to darker scarlet you will
find when plants have full daily sunlight.
Y o u may be wondering why your traps aren't a bright red. A l t h o u g h
many plants will produce a profusion of traps, they may n o t produce
the desired bright red color on the inside of the lobes. T h e y do still per-
form their insect-catching process. A d e q u a t e light is the answer for the
desired red coloration. W e have used the Dura T e s t C o m p a n y ' s V i t a -
Lites and Natur-escent lights, both fluorescent types.
Over our experimental and propagation beds as well, we suspend
4-foot, twin-tube fluorescent fixtures. Sylvania G r o - L u x tubes work
well but must be closer to the plants. We hang our fixtures 10 inches
above the traps initially. W h e n bulbs have sprouted, and first traps
begun to form, we raise the lights to 18 and as high as 24 inches above
the plants. In all cases, we have achieved bright red traps on almost all
the plants. T h e y also seem healthier, b u t that may be our imagination
since they may just appear more attractive.
C a n you keep the plants alive and thriving year after year? T h a t ' s a
typical question. Y e s , you can. S o m e w o n ' t continue and may even die
26 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
T h e inner lobes of the trap* turn bright red when the plant is given bright
sunlight.
back. In fact, many people report that their plants live and perform
well for many months, then seem to brown and die. There's a logical
reason for this. T h e flvtrap is produced from a bulb. Like all bulb
plants, they need a period of dormancy to rest. It is part of their natural
cycle, similar to the cycle of tulips, daffodils, and other plants that grow
from bulbs.
Y o u can provide that resting period in several ways. First, cut back
on the water you provide. Traps will dry and new leaves fail to sprout.
C u t away old leaves and traps. T h e n , remove the bulbs, clean them,
and place them in a refrigerator. Best holding temperature is 3 6 to 0
40° F.
After 8 to 10 weeks, remove the bulbs and replant them. Y o u ' l l be
surprised h o w quickly they resprout and begin their life cycle again.
W e ' v e done this, using varying storage periods. M a x i m u m storage life is
a b o u t 18 months, but that may cost you some bulbs which soften and
die in storage. T h i s refrigeration can be compared to duplicating the
usual winter rest for plants.
V e n u s Flytraps 2j
In spring the flytrap sends up its flower stalk which bears several lovely white
blooms. (Courtesy Carolina Biological Supply Company)
of protein in a chuck of hamburger is often just too much for the indi-
vidual trap to digest. R e m e m b e r , you d o n ' t w a n t to kill your plant
through misplaced kindness, do you? For experimental purposes or peri-
odic demonstrations, go ahead, using the smallest sliver you can.
A l t h o u g h most of the growers w h o cultivate the V e n u s flytrap do so
for the fun of watching it lure and catch insects, some scientists have
really concentrated on learning more about the whys of the trap's
strange mechanism.
O n e experiment focused on discovering w h a t really makes the trap
snap. In a series of experiments, scientists connected tiny electrodes to
portions of mature traps. W i r e s ran to a laboratory oscilloscope. T h i s
device is utilized to record electrical impulses of direct or alternating
current. Is it possible that a plant actually generates electricity? So it
seems.
W h e n all was ready, the trap was tripped. Surprise! Imagine the awe
of the researchers when they actually recorded evidence of an electrical
discharge. T h e y saw the w a v e pulse right across the screen of the os-
cilloscope. In repeated tests electrical current was produced again and
again by different traps.
In continued studies, these investigators and others w h o expanded on
the original work learned that the flytrap indeed gives off a small, weak,
but nevertheless real electrical discharge when its trigger hairs are
touched. T h e y have theorized, and it would seem logically so, that it is
the electrical discharge which sends the signal to the cells, changing the
water or turgor pressure in the cells and causing them to act in unison.
T h e result is the amazinglv rapid snapping action.
To perhaps m a k e this more understandable, place your two hands
with the heels together as you would to demonstrate the shape of an
open flytrap. E x t e n d your fingers so your hands resemble the cocked
trap. N o w , think! T h e n snap your hands together with fingers in-
terlaced to simulate the rapid closing of the flytrap. W h a t happened
when you thought was: Electrical impulses ran from your brain to the
muscle control center of your brain for your hands; the impulses or-
dered the muscles to close your hands, which they did. T h a t , in perhaps
oversimplified terms, is the same principle that applies and occurs when
the flytrap snaps shut.
A strange plant indeed, with a proven primitive nervous system and
capable of generating electrical current.
O t h e r researchers are exploring different aspects of this plant's weird
habits. W h a t , they ask, are the properties of the insect attractant
secreted by the traps? W h a t is the chemical composition of this mate-
rial?
T h e y have good reason to ask. T h e y theorize that if they can learn
V e n u s Flytraps 31
Glistening redly in the sun, tentacles aquiver, sundews seem too attrac-
tive to be carnivorous plants. T h e Drosera family is a large one, with
varieties found in all parts of the world.
Sundews, like flytraps, actively lure, catch, and eat live insects. In
fact, some of the larger sundews are capable of snaring far more insects
for their size than any other carnivorous plants. T h e tall southern
filiformis, for example, has a remarkably hearty appetite. We have
counted up to one hundred tiny insects securely glued to one of these
15-inch-tall plants. A m o n g carnivorous plants, sundews are probably the
greediest of them all.
Sundews range throughout the world. We have seen them and stud
ied them on several continents in a score of countries. To the best of
my knowledge, some varieties, and often several, grow wild in every
state. Fortunately for the timid-hearted, there are no really giant sun-
dews here, as exist in more exotic parts of the world. T h e hungriest of
all the sundews, with leaves almost 2 feet long, do grow in Africa.
T h e r e , with favorable humidity and long days of strong sun, sundews
are capable of catching a variety of small animals that venture too close
for their own good.
Sundews, all types, are considered active plants. T r u e , they don't
have the speed and agility of the notorious V e n u s flytrap. Still, they are
well equipped with hundreds of sticky tentacles. Even the smallest
varieties have ample sticky arms to wrap around their insect victims.
T h i s family of fascinating plants also captured the attention of
Charles D a r w i n . Since his original studies, which were extensive, many
others, from amateur naturalists to accomplished scientists, have
probed the secrets of the sundews. D u r i n g my twenty-plus years with
carnivorous plants, I've found these botanical oddities a constant source
of wonder. Every time you think you have solved a riddle, the plants
perplex you again.
Sundews 33
k n o w n as tentacles. At the ends of these hairs are small black spots, the
glands which secrete the so-called dew. T h i s dew is in reality the sticky
substance which glues the unwitting insects tightly to the plant until
other tentacles can add their strength to ensnare the plant's meal.
W h e n an insect is attracted by the secretions from the aroma or at-
tractant glands, it may land ever so lightly on the glistening leaf. O o p s
— o n e foot gets stuck. It flutters its wings; they b e c o m e stuck. T h e
more it struggles the more the sundew is stimulated to secrete more
fluid as well as to begin releasing its digestive juices. F o o t by foot, wing
bv wing, the insects are engulfed and trapped by these tentacles on
each leaf.
The sticky glands and their secretions are clearly shown in this group of tall
sundews.
kling sundew, you'll feel and see the tacky substance stick to your
finger. Lift it away and strands of the substance stretch out as though
attempting to hold even your finger to the leaf.
Foreign sundews have similar habits, although their appearance may
be quite different. W e ' v e included some photos to demonstrate the
range of appearances in the exotic Drosera family. All, of course, thrive
on living diets of insects all the way up to small rodents, animals, and
birds.
Sundews 39
Because both types have such sticky tentacles, you can actually place
live flies and small moths against the leaves and stick them fast. In
feeding trials, when we and others have deliberately attached dozens of
insects to these plants, they responded favorably. M o r e leaves unfurled
from bulbs until we produced a veritable bush effect from o n e plant.
No doubt its diet agreed with it.
Intermedia sundews, c o m m o n along the edges of w e t ditches and
bogs, are thirstier than their relatives. M o s t sundews thrive when grown
in a mixture of sand and sphagnum moss. S o m e actually grow in sphag-
n u m alone. W h e n it overgrows them, they flower, set seeds and replant
themselves, layer by layer, in the bog.
This cluster of sundew plants in a glass bowl shows a gnat's-eye view of the
hundreds of sticky tentacles.
^2 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
are passively poised for their prey. U n l i k e the flytrap and the many sun-
dews, the pitcher plants have no way of snapping out or wrapping
sticky fingers around their prey. So wait they must. During the cen-
turies these plants lay waiting, they perfected an ingenious method to
catch the insects they need to supplement the nutrients in the leached-
out, boggy soils in which they live. Each pitcher sprouts from the cen-
tral rhizome, supported by sturdy roots which hold it in the moist,
sandy, and moss-covered soil.
A r o u n d the m o u t h of each individual pitcher are hundreds of tiny
spines. T h e s e %-inch spines, even V4-inch l o n g on larger plants, line
the m o u t h and throat of the pitchers. Y o u might think they would
point up toward the sun. Instead they point d o w n . There's method in
this scheme of things.
Pitcher Plants 45
may dilute them temporarily, b u t the extra liquid serves to drown the
insects, too. Eventually the soft portions of the insects are broken down
by the digestive fluids of the plant, to b e c o m e its meal.
As the plant prospers on the nourishment provided by its insect diet,
it may also grow sufficiently large to capture small frogs, a stray cater-
pillar or two, even a salamander or other more exotic fare.
D u r i n g its growth cycle new pitchers emerge from the rhizome peri-
odically, in 6- to 1 0 - w e e k intervals, depending on the season and the
plant's luck in catching food. O l d e r pitchers turn brown, wither, and
eventually decay. "Hie new ones keep sprouting all season until the chill
of fall, when all foliage dies back.
A l t h o u g h there are slight differences between the northern and
southern versions of Sarracenia purpurea, both bear almost identical,
lovely, red velvetv flowers. Flower stalks spring up from M a r c h to June,
depending on h o w the season has progressed in the area in which the
plants are growing. W e ' v e seen the southern variety b l o o m in early
M a r c h in Georgia. T h e M a i n e and C a n a d i a n pitchers usually blossom
by June.
C h e c k i n g our historic sources, we find that there have been refer-
ences to pitcher plants by the earliest settlers. T h e y probably learned
about these plants from the Indians, since occasional records indicate
Pitcher Plants 47
that Indians used some portions of the plants for folk medicine in early
Colonial days. In records from the 1600s we find that a C a n a d i a n , Dr.
Sarrazin, collected plants and sent them back to E u r o p e for study.
T h e s e early investigations by botanists led to the n a m i n g of the genus
Sarracenia in honor of their discoverer. In all likelihood the first pitcher
plants identified were purpureas, the northern pitcher plant, since that
is the main one found native in N o r t h America.
It was known in the early 1800s that insects were attracted to t h e tall
pitcher plant, Sarracenia flava, and seemed to be paralyzed by some un-
known substance in that plant. M o d e m scientists have hypothesized
that perhaps the aroma of the flowers or pitchers themselves not only
lured the insects, b u t also acted in some way to paralyze t h e m so they
would fall into the digestive fluids inside the pitchers.
Dr. Howard Miles of Mississippi State University is intently con-
cerned with chemical research. His team of scientists is analyzing vari-
ous plants for anti-tumor activity. S o m e plants, including the pitcher
plant, indicate promising activity, he reports. Betulinol and lupeol have
48 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
The red, velvety flowers of the purple pitcher tower over the plant.
cal hollow pitchers. If you are fortunate to find some in your locale, ex-
amine the surrounding area closely. Often you can find a scattering of
young plants around the parent, much like baby chicks surrounding
their mother hen.
During the insect-catching season these adult leaves perform their
functions well. By fall they are often replaced or intermingled with the
so-called winter leaf. It may have a mouth b u t seldom has the fully
open hollow pitcher. These leaves look more like wings with a mouth at
the end. W h e n cultivated indoors, you'll most likely be successful in
maintaining a continuing emergence and growth of the desired hollow
summer leaves.
Look inside these hollow insect-catching devices. In fact, remove one
and slit it with a knife to better view the secrets t h a t lie within. Across
the spine-lined mouth, which is the attraction zone, you may be able to
detect the nectar glands. They're responsible for luring the plant's po-
tential meals. There are fewer hairs or spines in the lower "throat" area.
Below that is a more waxy surface. I suspect that once the insect passes
the spines it is supposed to slide the rest of the way into the "soup."
By careful examination you may detect the glands which secrete the
digestive fluids and enzymes in the lower portions of the pitcher. Once
you have come to this point, the area to which the liquid usually finds
its level, you'll begin to see the insects in the various stages of decom-
position and digestion. Finally, the pitcher narrows to the short
stemlike portion which connects the pitcher to the rhizome.
This cross section of a pitcher plant leaf reveals the partly digested prey
and fly maggots too.
Pitcher Plants 5 1
ern states. But it does freeze out in winter and won't survive. At least, it
hasn't yet in our attempts to acclimate it to New Jersey and Maine con-
ditions.
W h e n you look at this oddity close up, the aptness of its name be-
comes apparent. T h e hollow pitchers which are its leaves extend to a
rounded hood with a bit of a crest down the center. At the tip of this
hood, which curls back to face the center of the plant, is what passes
for a beaklike point. U n d e r it is a small mouth which is almost per-
fectly round.
Another feature that sets the parrot apart is the multitude of translu-
cent spots on its hood. W i t h adequate sun these spots become more
pronounced and the reddish veins extend farther down the pitcher and
into the wing portion of the leaf.
Lacking the spine-lined mouth of the purpureas, the parrot, Sar-
racenia psittacina Michaux, has evolved a somewhat different, yet
equally effective, insect-confusing method of getting fed. T h e flared
hood is up, the mouth toward the center of the plant. As insects are at-
tracted into the tiny mouth by the aroma from the attractant glands,
they begin to feed on the nectar of the plant. If they suspect some-
thing awry, the insects may attempt to flee. But which way is out? N o t
up, although there's light showing through those translucent spots. It
may fly up, b u t merely hits its head and tumbles back into the pitcher.
How about the other three sides, left, right, and rear? T h e potential
prey finds the same problem. Its apparent escape route is blocked.
W h a t look like openings are just those same translucent spots again.
T h a t leaves onlv one way to escape, providing the insect still has
strength enough and the brain capacity to make the choice. Most likely
many insects keep trying to fly up and out until they tire and drop back
defeated.
T h e odds aren't much in the insect's favor. There's only one way out
of six directions. Probably it becomes disoriented in the process and
keeps banging its head against the same escape-proof inner wall of the
hood. There's also the factor t h a t more glands are placed lower in the
pitcher to lure unwitting insects deeper into the narrower part of the
pitcher. No wonder the parrot pitcher seems as well fed as its other rel-
atives! You might say it stacks the odds aginst its victims and outwits
t h e m or just wears t h e m down. Into the soup, that is.
T h e internal structure of this pitcher plant is basically similar to the
others. Glands lower in the pitcher secrete the enzymes and fluids to di-
gest the insects. It too grows from a central rhizome which can produce
4 to 15 pitchers depending how favorable the growing conditions are.
This species is usually smaller than the purpureas. It fits better into ter-
Pitcher Plants 53
rariums with other smaller types: the sundews, butterworts, and
flytraps.
Culture is almost identical to that of purpureas. It prefers slightly less
water around it, so the middle part of the terrarium is preferable.
W h e n planting them as individual specimens or as a group of its own
kind, follow the directions for purpureas, fust remember to give each a
bit more drainage in the pot or tray in which you plan to grow it.
Allow me an aside here, please, since an ingenious growing method
used by one carnivorous cultivator may save you time and work. After
he has planted his single or several specimens in one pot, he waters
them well and places the pot on a tray of gravel. T h e r e is always about
an inch of water in the trav. Over the potted plants he places one of
those wide-mouth glass gallon jars. (I hope he isn't seen too often en-
tering and leaving the bars where he obtains the former containers of
olives, cherries, and onions.) He assured me t h a t in his work, traveling
extensively week after week, this method provides insurance that the
plants will have adequate humidity while he is away. Judging from the
condition of the plants, it seems his system has some merit.
Parrot pitchers bear attractive red to crimson flowers on tall stalks, 8
to 15 inches high, each spring. Expect b u t one per plant, although
larger rhizomes may produce two flower stalks. T h e flowers resemble
those borne by purpureas, but about half the size. Although the colora-
tion we've seen may be caused by brighter southern sun, parrot flowers
have always seemed a deeper red, sometimes close to a reddish brown.
Occasionally petals remain greenish red, while sepals become darker
hued. Seed pods follow.
If you succeed in flowering several varieties of sarracenia at the same
time, you may earn a bonus. They do occasionally cross-pollinate. You
may discover the seeds will develop into a natural hybrid plant. For
fun, you can attempt to hybridize these plants yourself by hand. Details
are in the chapter on experiments.
mmmm—'
Hooded pitcher plants, Sarracenia minor, have mouths somewhat like the
parrot pitcher, but have the translucent spots typical of the cobra lily and
its upright growth.
brown. Some hoods seem to have more of the translucent spots than
others, but we haven't yet determined how or why.
W h e n insects are enticed into the m o u t h , they feed on the nectar
secreted by the inner cells of the hood, as they do with other pitchers.
T h e attractant glands are arrayed around the rim of the m o u t h and in-
side as well to encourage the dinner prospects to venture farther. O n c e
inside, the odds against escape are even worse than the parrot gives.
T h e mouth, remember, usuallv is lower, facing the ground. We assume
the insect's instinct tells it to fly up or to the sides, wherever the faint
56 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
light indicates there may be an avenue of escape. T o o bad for the in-
sect, because there is no passage from its little plant cave. Eventually, it
either falls into the digestive fluids in the lower portion of the pitcher
or unwittingly crawls its way down to a watery grave.
Each spring, delightful yellow flowers, usually one per plant, arise on
slender stalks. They are similar to the yellow-petaled flowers of the tall
huntsman's horn, Sarracenia flava, b u t slightly smaller. Petals are some-
what shorter, too.
W h e n you dissect the hooded pitcher, you'll find the same zones
common to all pitcher plants. Botanists we have visited emphasize that
there are normally five distinct zones, from the hood or mouth into
which the attractant glands first entice the insects, down to the final
base in which absorption of the digested protein and nutrients takes
place. It may be difficult for the untrained amateur to recognize these
distinct areas. In fact, they may really be sub zones, a different type of
pavement on t h e path the insect takes from entering until it becomes
the plant's nourishment.
However, in deference to the more technically minded, we have in-
cluded with these chapters outline sketches that will help you identify
the inner workings of the pitcher plants. These may be especially useful
if you plan study projects and need a guide to re-create accurate draw-
ings of these plants' innards.
Hooded pitchers will thrive with the same basic planting and care
given to their relatives. In fact, the following friend of the same family,
the miniature huntsman's horn, also is cultured in the same way.
This cross section of a miniature huntsman's horn leaf shows its insect-
catching ability.
Each spring this delicate pitcher plant bears single red, velvety
flowers on individual stalks. Some wave several inches higher than the
pitchers grow.
Miniature huntsman's horns should be grown as hooded pitchers are.
They prefer sufficient moisture in the planting medium, b u t slightly
less than purpureas and parrots.
Pitcher Plants 59
All of these pitcher plants enjoy such similar conditions that they are
easily grown together in terrariums. Remember, they do need room to
reach their full potential size. Select a large-enough display terrarium
for a group planting, with sufficient headroom so the taller types can
flower properly.
Each type has its own distinctive insect-alluring methods. Together
they make a fine display.
Huntsman's Horns,
Sweet Trumpets,
and Cobra Lilies
A m o n g the tallest, biggest, and most striking of the easily grown and
more readily available carnivorous plants are the huntsman's horns.
Huntsman's h o m s are actually the tallest varieties of the pitcher plants.
T h a t includes Sarracenia flava and its many offshoots, cousins, hybrid
relatives, and associated friends. T y p i c a l of this family are their tall,
straight, o p e n m o u t h e d growing habits. M a n y of the family have flaps
over the m o u t h to partially conceal the yawning hollow pitchers which
are one-way streets for the unsuspecting insects w h o enter in search of
the sweet nectar's aroma.
Huntsman's h o m hybrids offer variations in color and shape, size and
configuration. Y o u have a wide selection for complete terrariums from
the Sarracenia flava down to the miniature huntsman's h o m s , S. rubra
(discussed in the previous c h a p t e r ) . W h e n you begin counting the
many variations in this carnivorous group it's like going to a family re-
union. T h e y all look alike, b u t it is difficult to recall all the names and
places, never mind the true and accurate family relationships. Sar-
racenias are like that. E v e n the experts have trouble determining and
defining the exact names and ancestral heritage.
Perhaps one of the most unique of the taller carnivorous plants is n o t
even related to the Sarracenia familv. Botanists still debate its true ori-
gin and exact name. Y e t , the cobra lily, Darlingtonia californica, stands
tall as one of the most interesting of the insect-luring plants. At least it
does in N o r t h America, and ranks high a m o n g the more fascinating in
the world as well.
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 61
I've put all the taller carnivorous plants in this particular chapter for
a reason. For one thing, because they are tall they require extra space
for growing to their destined dimensions; for another, because their cul-
tural life shies are similar. And finally, because they have similar insect
attracting, catching, and eating habits. After all, when you've studied
several hundred thousand over the years, and observed so many more
from coast to coast and overseas, you just naturally develop patterns
with these carnivorous plant friends.
Common to all these taller carnivores is their trapping method. In-
sects are lured by nectar secreted by the plant glands near the m o u t h
and throat. Some species have minute hairs lining the upper portion of
the hollow stalks or trumpets. Others assist their would-be meals down
6z Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
the inside track by waxy surfaces. A few astound and confuse the in-
tended victims by coloration or devious and perplexing surfaces.
Among the taller-growing carnivorous plants native chiefly to North
America is the cobra lily. This plant is distinctly different and in a class
by itself. Maturing some 18 or more inches high, it represents its name
well. W i t h flared hood, forked reddish tongue, and twisted stalk sway-
ing in the breeze, this plant has gained new popularity in recent years.
T h e cobra lily, native to the bogs of mountains in Northern California,
Oregon, and other spots in America's Pacific Northwest justly deserves
its fame. Anyone who has seen pictures of the king cobra snake will re-
alize how this plant earned its name. Closer inspection reveals even
more fascinating information.
The cobra lily, with its forked tongue, resembles the snake
for which it is named. The plant's mouth is beneath the
tongue, and the hood is composed of translucent spots
which block an insect's attempts to fly straight up and out.
A group of huntman's horns growing in a marshy field.
All of the tall pitcher plants in the Sarracenia group grow from
rhizomes, much like an iris does. All prefer the semi-swampy conditions
which are found near bogs, stream borders, and coastal wetlands. All
have hollow pitchers into which insect meals are lured to provide the
nutrients required for satisfactory growth.
Some varieties have more colorful tops and hoods or lids. Others
even have variegations and more colorful veining such as is apparent in
the sweet trumpet, S. drummondii. In fact, some from careful observa-
tion seem to outdo their relatives in their ability to lure a higher pro-
portion of insects than surrounding species- Specialists conjecture, or
perhaps they just guess, that color is more appealing. Others believe the
factor is a more powerful attractant in some species than in others, even
though they may grow side by side.
Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Let's see in detail h o w these plants go about their work. First, the in-
sect is attracted by the nectar secreted by the aroma glands below the
m o u t h of the huntsman's horn. As it flies nearer, it must obviously find
the scent alluring. W h y else would it trespass into dangerous grounds?
All sarracenias have similar mouths, wide open and leading to a hol-
low stem or stalk that becomes progressively narrow as it nears the base
from which it grows. A flap or liplike hood is more pronounced on
some species than on others, b u t occurs on all. T h a t ' s a family resem-
blance y o u can spot immediately. O n c e the insect enters the open
m o u t h it becomes aware of the additional attractants farther down in-
side the pitcher.
T h e r e are glands inside the area that can be considered the throat of
the pitcher or horn which lures the insect deeper and deeper. At a point
the insect may b e c o m e alarmed. S o m e may escape. T h e majority,
unthinking as they are, may wish to rest on the inner sides of the plant
stalk. Unfortunately for t h e m , the mid- to lower-inner surfaces are more
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 65
slippery. These lower waxy or greasy surfaces speed the final movement
of the insect prey into the digestive fluids within the stem. Glands lo-
cated in the lower-inner walls of the huntsman's horns secrete juices
which combine with moisture brought up from the roots or deposited
by rain to create a soupy broth within the pitcher. In this the unlucky
insect becomes a meal for the plant.
Huntsman's horns attract and eat a wide range of insects each week.
We've found flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, and even small
frogs in various stages of digestion within the pitchers we have cut
apart.
At flowering time the huntsman's horns, cobra lilies, and their rela-
tives put on a colorful show. S. flava and most closelv related species, in-
cluding the natural hybrids, send up tall stalks which bear the most cu-
rious, large, and showy yellow flowers. In the world list at the end of
Huntsman's horn flowers (above) are a bright yellow; the cobra lily's are a
deep, dark red.
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 67
this book you'll find some examples of natural and man-made crosses
which result in some color changes of the plant trumpets and flowers as
well. In general, these plants bear flowers with large petals. T h e blooms
may be two or more inches across.
Seeds are fairly large and offer good opportunity to propagate these
plants from seeds. Follow the accepted sprouting method in mixtures of
sphagnum and peat with sand as described in the culture chapter. An-
other simple way to reproduce the various huntsman's horns, S. flava,
leucophylla, oreophila, alata, rubra, and minor plus their related
hybrids, is by rhizome cutting. As the plants grow they build strength
and growth in the underground rhizome which resembles that of your
typical iris. These rhizomes may be an inch thick and quite woody, so
cut carefully. Take a sharp knife and cut segments an inch or more
long, leaving bits of root on the pieces and stalks or stalk buds. After a
few weeks in moist sphagnum moss these active pieces should begin to
sprout new plants.
T h e first leaves to appear are termed juvenile leaves. This trait is
common to all the American species of pitcher plants. These leaves
don't open, b u t do help get the plant growing and established. In fact,
during fall, especially on young plants only a few years old, juvenile
leaves may be found which last through the winter. They are also
termed winter leaves. In spring the more desired hollow leaves or
pitchers grow. T h e real activity, that fascinating insect-catching ability,
is accomplished by these mature leaves, which are hollow. Some may be
only a few inches tall, on some species like the miniature huntsman's
horn, S. rubra.
As the pitchers of each variety mature they may in taller varieties
reach 2 feet high. T h e mouths on these plants are covered or partially
covered by flaps or hoodlike lids. Some mouths may be less than V4
inch in diameter, up to perhaps Vi inch wide. Others, in S. flava and
the sweet trumpet, S. drummondii, may be 1 to 3 inches across.
Despite these differences in size, shape, and coloration, all pitcher
plants have the same five zones inside their hollow pitchers. Since these
taller types have fewer hairs or spines lining their mouths and throats,
perhaps we should review the zones. T h e y are detailed in the earlier
chapter as they apply to the purple pitcher, hooded, and parrot species.
T h e first zone includes the opening plus the underside of the flap or
hood as well as the area just under the lip or rim of the pitcher. This is
the attraction zone. It contains the glands and, depending on variety,
stiff hairs. T h e glands secrete the aromas which lure the insects from
fields away to their imminent demise. T h e hairs, on those which bear
them, also contribute to directing the insects into and down into the
lower areas of the pitchers.
68 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Botanists list zone two as similar, with fewer or no hairs, and gradu-
ally changing into zone three. This zone is characteristically lined with
a waxy surface. If an insect tries to gain a foothold here he is out of
luck. O t h e r carnivorous specialists refer to this as the sliding or slippery
zone.
Below this are usually the digestive glands, which secrete the en-
zymes to break down the insects' bodies to be absorbed by absorption
glands in the lower zones. T h e liquid inside the pitchers, brought up by
water-conducting tissues and also deposited by rain, usually remains
level to about zone three. You can examine the inside of a pitcher
merely by slitting it. That's another project for younger hobbyists. Just
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 69
cut the entire pitcher open, use pushpins to hold it open and then iden-
tify the different zones and their functions.
Actually, different species do vary in the size and complexity of their
catching and digestive abilities. But basically, the zones can be seen, es-
pecially by use of a hand magnifying glass.
Over the years we have learned that all these huntsman's horns do
thrive in sphagnum moss alone. However, since their original habitat is
a somewhat drier, acid, and sandy soil, you can utilize mixtures of these
materials in the bases of large growing terrariums and containers.
Sarracenia flava, the most common yellowish-green huntsman's horn,
is attractively ribbed toward the upper areas and the mouth. As you
begin to classify and collect the various species and hybrids you'll find
that colors do change. On some species reddish hues become apparent
and more pronounced, even blotches at the rear of the throat.
For strikingly lovely coloration, the sweet trumpet, S. drummondii, is
perhaps the most attractive of the huntsman's horns. Tallest of the
huntsman's horn family, sweet trumpets are distinguished by varie-
gated reddish to purplish necks, throats, and mouths, including their
flap over the mouths. They also have unusual translucent whitish areas
between the ribs and veins which make them especially appealing in a
combination terrarium planting. This is one type which bears red
blooms, rather than the more typical yellow or yellowish green. Al-
•jo Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
though for years this sweet trumpet has been living under the Latin
n a m e S. drummondii, botanists now wish to change it to S. leucophylla.
(Somehow, I like the sound of drummondii better.)
Among hybrids, the crosses between sweet trumpet and others often
yield the most striking coloration, both in foliage and flower. Perhaps
one of the most dramatic results came from our crossing sweet trumpet
with the common northern pitcher plant, S. purpurea. T h e offspring
have a more upright growing habit, the exceptional coloration of the
sweet trumpet parent, and they respond well to terrarium and individ-
ual cultivation.
T h e natural range of huntsman's horns is the southeastern part of
the United States.
Sarracenia flava ranges from Virginia through the Carolinas into
Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, in bogs, swamps, and moist areas of
semi-shaded woods and pinelands. T h e tall summer leaves may grow be-
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 71
tween 18 and 30 inches tall. Flowers are bright yellow in good sun to
\ellowish-green in shaded glades.
S. alata, formerly known as sledgei, is more restricted in its range to
the southerly areas of Alabama and Mississippi, even into parts of
Texas, where bogs and low moist areas favor its growth. It is lower-
growing than flava and has more red coloration in the upper portions of
the pitchers. Flowers borne on single stalks are typically yellow-green.
S. oreophila occurs in Alabama and Georgia, with some in Florida,
too. It seems to prefer sandier soil b u t does well in acid bog soils which
were probably once peat moss. T h e leaves rise about 18 inches high, are
green, and the flowers typically yellow-green.
7- Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Cobra Lily
Just as tall, b u t with much more eye appeal to people and to insects
as well, I suspect, the cobra lily can rightly be called a pitcher plant.
After careful study, botanist J. D. Drackenridge, who is credited with
its discovery, decided there were some striking differences between it
and other pitcher plants, so he christened this outstanding carnivore
Darlingtonia californica. However, after proudly bearing that name for
many years, it has been declared bv modern botanists to be invalid ac-
cording to the rules of botanical descriptions. T h u s , Darlingtonia
californica has become Chrysamphora californica. Perhaps the common
n a m e of cobra lily or cobra plant is more descriptive and appropriate.
Looking at this strange plant you can easily understand why the com-
mon name was so readily applied and accepted. T h e plant arises from a
rhizome with juvenile leaves much as pitcher plants do. True, it also
has the similar attracting and digesting zones inside its hollow pitchers.
There the similarity ends.
T h e top of each mature pitcher is flared into a hood which carries
over and around the front. Attached to this front section is a forked ap-
pendage, much like the forked tongue so typical of snakes. Beneath this
tongue is the somewhat hidden m o u t h , oval-shaped but just as hungry'
as the open yawning mouths of other pitcher plants.
T h e hood and part of the pitcher itself is covered with translucent
spots between the veins. T h e tongue itself is greenish red to dark ma-
roon.
As an insect is attracted to the plant it may light first on the tongue
or fly directly upward into the open mouth. T h e interior attractant
glands secrete their nectar to lure the victim lower where it can become
a meal. But sometimes insects have a change of heart. Flying upward is
no answer inside this carnivore. T h e hood covers the entire escape route
on almost ever)' side. Besides, flying up to the light just means a
Huntsman's Horns, Sweet Trumpets, Cobra Lilies 73
Diagram of a single cobra lily. The reddish forked tongue of the cobra lily
lures insects, and also serves as a walkway
into the plant's mouth.
bumped head for the insect. Even- spot that seems an escape door or
window is securely closed. Eventually the insect drops exhausted into
the liquid to be digested in its turn.
Each summer the cobra plants send up several flower stalks. These
look similar to the Indian pipes you find on woodland walks, b u t are
greenish with some reddish coloration near the top. T h e blooms are an
attractive dark red, between the size of the large huntsman's h o m
flowers and those of the miniature huntsman's horns, about 1 to 2
inches across and velvety in texture.
Propagation can be accomplished from seed in a sphagnum moss
mixture sprouting tray or container. It is easier to take root or rhizome
cuttings, although with care you can often succeed With cuttings of
young, strong pitchers carefully kept moist in sphagnum moss with just
their tops sticking out.
74 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Repotted from a parent plant, this cobra lily seems to stand watch over a
new brood of newly sprouted youngsters.
tions of the leaves on the surface and along the tiny hairs of the leaves
have surprising strength. W h e n unwary insects are attracted to these
oval or tongue-shaped leaves they may suspect no danger. But once they
place their tiny insect foot on the sticky leaves they may realize the di-
lemma. Trying to flee, the insect places its other feet on the sticky sur-
face. Poor pest. It learns soon enough that that lovely resting spot has
epoxy gluelike ability. T h e more the insect struggles, the more surface
it contacts.
Larger plants are more obvious in the manner in which the leaves ac-
tually roll to clinch the decision and capture its meal. Perhaps the leaf
really does slowly roll toward its potential meal. Some experts believe
the leaves are stimulated by insect activity into a faster growth pattern
that results in the leaf furling. More likely the insect, in its struggles to
escape, contacts more leaf surface and the sticky substance helps roll
the leaves around the victim.
This large butterwort (the quarter shows its relative size) can fill a
planter by itself.
T h e sticky, hair-lined leaves of the butterwort. Notice how the leaves furl
when insects are caught.
The leaf-furling habit.
Close observation reveals that the leaf has incurled margins. This
forms a shallow catching pan or surface which is covered with colorless
secretions. There are two types of glands distributed on the leaf surface.
T h e first is visible and appears stalked or hairlike. T h e second type is
composed of groups of smaller cells which, under a microscope, appear
as knobs on the leaf surface. This type secretes the digestive enzymes.
T h e first type is responsible for the sticky catching substance.
Although they appear passive, butterworts do demonstrate some
primitive nervous system understanding. Their ability to distinguish be-
tween rain, artificial stimulation and the real thing—insect m e a l s -
becomes obvious after you watch them in action. For example, when
you water these plants the leaves just don't curl inward. Even when you
stimulate the surface with a pencil point or other object, the leaves
remain basically in the same position. But let an insect land and the
plant gets the message that it's mealtime. Additional sticky material is
secreted to secure the insect tightly. As this process continues, the in-
sect's struggle stimulates release of digestive enzvme from that second,
less-conspicuous series of glands. W i t h i n about a week the nutrients are
absorbed from the insect to nourish the plant.
Even the smallest and medium-size butterworts catch a surprising
range of insects. Although we can't actually attribute special taste pref-
erences to these plants, gnats and fruit flies seem to be the most com-
mon insects in their diets. In fact, growing cultures of Drosophila (fruit
flies) in a terrarium with butterworts will keep them happy for months
to come. Fruit flies also are easily caught and utilized for food by the
many smaller sundews.
Although the curling of butterwort leaves is obvious after a day or so,
younger plants can accomplish the process in several hours. O n e aspir-
ing filmmaker set his Super 8 camera on stop action so it would take a
frame every 16 seconds. After some testing, he achieved an amazing re-
sult. W h e n the film was played back at regular speed he had photo-
graphically captured the action just as effectively as the butterwort leaf
had captured the insect.
Flowering is another attractive bonus from butterworts. T h e smaller
so-called swamp violet types bear single tinv violet and lavender flowers
on short stalks. T h e larger varieties bear blooms of violet and in some
species yellow which may be almost an inch or so long. T h e form is
much like the common wild violet found in woods and fields. There are
five sepals, two stamens, and a compound pistil on each flower.
There's another fascinating sidelight to the butterworts. Some, partic-
ularly t h e Pinguicula pumila, primuliflora, and planifolia, mav develop
baby plantlets right on the margins of their leaves, all by themselves.
Actually, almost all butterworts can be induced to reproduce vegeta-
Butterworts and Bladderworts Si
tively this way by cutting off the leaves and placing them in a propagat-
ing bed of sphagnum moss which is kept moist at all times. Just bury
the lower, cut portion of the leaf in the moss and within several weeks
new baby plants should begin to form.
You also can reproduce butterworts if you save seed and sow it over
damp sphagnum and peat moss, covered with plastic sheets. Germina-
tion may be rapid or require several weeks of real patience until they
sprout. T h e northern species, especially P. vulgaris and P. villosa, usu-
ally respond better if seed is stratified or put into near-freezing condi-
tions for several weeks. T h e southern species, since thev seldom face
natural freezing in their usual habitat, sprout without this extra step.
To culture butterworts, follow the methods for sundews. Soil, how-
ever, should be allowed to become a bit drier between waterings. You
can satisfy that requirement by growing butterworts separately or in a
slightly higher portion of the terrarium.
82 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
However, during various times of its growth the leaves may take on
different shapes. Size is the best identifying characteristic of these two
types. Mature plants can grow up to 8 inches across.
Bladderworts
Among carnivorous plants, perhaps the bladderworts, scientifically
the Utricularia family, have more types and styles than any of the
others. More than 200 species have been identified and named by bota-
nists and specialists in all parts of the world. There are about 20 found
native to the United States.
Although these are mainly aquatic, their habits, especially among the
larger types, bear watching. For one thing, they have been called fish-
eating plants. Bladderworts look harmless enough, but can they do
tricks. In nature they are found in bogs, swamps, along still lakes and
Butterworts and Bladderworts 85
waterways. You might never realize their insect-eating abilities unless
you took a close underwater look at them.
Bladderworts have characteristic threadlike growth and may be at-
tached to either the mud or the soil at the b o t t o m of the pond or
brook. Some are just free-floating. W e ' v e explored old cranberry bogs so
covered with these plants in spring and fall that there seems a slight
pink or lavender haze over the water from the thousands of tiny
blooms.
There are several types which thrive at the edge of ponds and bogs.
After rains they may be submerged for a time, b u t then they either
break loose to float freely or grow to the surface on a slender, threadlike
stalk. T h e flowers have two segments, usuallv called lips. Like the but-
terworts, these plants have a palate between the two lips. Stamens and
pistil are sheltered ins de the petals. Although the flowers are delicate,
;
Flotation isn't the only function of the bladderwort bladders. They also
lure and eat insects.
tissue attached to the top of the bladder, much like a spring hinge,
opening into the bladder. This trapdoor hangs down from the top and
is held in place, scientists believe, by cell pressure and parts of the
plant. T h e surrounding portion of the bladder acts much like a door-
stop which helps seal the bladder until the vacuum is built and the trap
is cocked and ready for action.
Like the flytrap, bladderworts have trigger hairs. Unlike the flytrap,
these are on the outside of the trap, usually just below the entrance of
the door. They also help keep excess algae and material from entering
the interior of the bladder when it is triggered into activity.
Nectar glands are also located just outside the door; right at the
threshold, so to speak. As nature sets the stage, the trap or bladder sides
Butterworts and Bladderworts 8j
become concave. T h a t ' s when the fun begins. As tiny water fleas and
other microscopic potential meals approach, attracted to the secretions
of the nectar glands, they touch the triggering hairs outside the door.
W i t h a quick response these hairs telegraph the approach of an immi-
nent meal to the bladder. T h e doorstop gets the message and moves
sufficiently for the trapdoor to be released. It swings in and up.
T h e water carrying the unsuspecting insects or tiny animal life
rushes in. As it does, the trap itself fills, assumes a convex shape, and
the door is pushed closed. O t h e r tiny hairs or stalks inside the m o u t h of
the trap help prevent the insect's escape. Since the water pressure is
now equalized and the struggles of the victim further stimulate the
bladder to secrete digestive juices, t h e door remains shut until the meal
is done. T h e n , in nature's marvelous manner, special glands inside the
trap absorb the water inside the bladder. T h i s causes the v a c u u m which
again sets the door securely in place and prepares the bladder for its
next luring, catching, eating sequence.
88 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
An even closer look of the bladderwort leaf trap. (Courtesy Carolina Bio-
logical Supply Company)
floating in water with sufficient sunlight and warmth, these buds will
unfurl to grow stalks, bladders, and complete plants. Some produce
what amounts to lateral buds between branches which can be cut with
a bit of stalk to sprout whole new plants.
W h e n you plan to search for these tiny carnivores afield, here are
some of the more common ones and where they are likely to be found.
Also consult the world plant list for locations of these and other carniv-
orous plants.
Utricularia purpurea ranges across most of the United States. You
can find it in lakes, slow streams, and roadside ditches. It is distin-
guished by several purple flowers on a single stem. In large groups the
area seems to have a purplish haze above the water during blooming sea-
son. This particular species has whorled branches circling the main
stem, much like spokes on a wheel.
T h e Utricularia inflata is native to coastal states between New Jersey
south to Florida in ponds, lakes, and slow water. It has several to a
dozen yellow flowers on one stem.
Utricularia olivacea is found in southern Florida in shallow ponds and
swamps. It seems to have only one or two vellow flowers per stalk with
alternate branching. This one is so tiny, it takes careful observation to
find it.
In northern areas, Utricularia vulgaris can be seen in the north-
eastern states across the country to Washington and Oregon. It also
likes ponds and roadside ditches. You'll identify it easily from the 10 to
20 yellow flowers on t h e stalks which rise from several inches to 8
inches high. Look for tiny bristles on leaf margins to complete your
identification.
Utricularia intermedia with its thin, flat, and somewhat serrated
leaves is found in ponds and ditches in the same area as the vulgaris. It
has several yellow flowers with spurs on the blooms almost as long as
the tinv flowers themselves.
Utricularia minor also inhabits still waters and bogs in the northern
tier of states. Similar to intermedia, it has several yellow flowers and
leaves that are thin, flat, and smooth except at the tip end. This type
has leaves and bladders on the same stem and branches. Intermedia
seems to have developed a division of labor. Some stems have leaves,
others the bladders. T h a t ' s a key distinguishing feature of this species.
W i t h 200-plus species and subspecies, it is impossible in the space
available to a t t e m p t describing them all. These are, from our experience,
the more readily found or purchased from the carnivorous plant firms
who specialize in the weird botanical genus.
Butterworts and Bladderworts 9'
If you prefer to stay with terrariums and forego the aquatic types of
carnivorous plants, two terrestrial species are suitable for the soggier part
of the container.
Utricularia cornuta is common to the eastern United States in peat
and sphagnum moss bogs, even in wet shorelines of ponds and streams.
It bears several small vellow flowers.on stalks a few inches tall.
Utricularia resupinata ranges throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coast
states. It is also found, for some reason, around the Great Lakes. It pre-
fers shores of ponds and ditches. Unfortunately, it only offers a single or
at best a few small purple flowers.
Utricularia subulata is common along streams, ponds, and boggy areas
of the Atlantic coast and in the southeastern states. It has small yellow
flowers on each stalk.
Butterworts and bladderworts are two more oddities that can add
new carnivorous dimensions to your collection. You certainly have a
wide-enough choice among these two types.
Nepenthes
We've included some illustrations of the more easily available and read-
ily grown varieties.
Among the sixty odd species native to tropical Asia, many are found
in the Philippines, Malagasy Republic, and Indonesia. T h e r e are varie-
ties in India, across parts of Australia and on other islands in between.
Borneo and some of the other more exotic-sounding lands of Asia
abound with the astounding carnivores.
Nepenthes are somewhat shrubby plants. T h e y creep or climb on sur-
rounding vegetation. You can, of course, grow t h e m individually in pots
or terrariums, providing you can supply the special conditions which
match as closely as possible their preferred environment. Most
nepenthes are jungle plants. T h a t doesn't necessarily mean they need
bright sun and torrid heat. After all, they thrive in the lower stories of
the rain forests and jungles, so filtered light or semi-sun will meet their
needs. Most species must, however, be provided with extra high humid-
ity. W h e n you examine them, that need becomes readily apparent.
Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
94
High humidity and lots of moisture are required to supply sufficient
liquid to the pitchers through the tendrils which attach them to the
leaves. W i t h o u t that liquid, the plants just can't produce the attractant
fluids and digestive juices necessary to catch and eat their meals.
There are some species in this remarkable family of carnivores which
do require less moisture. T h a t ' s because they normally inhabit the
somewhat drier hillsides, mountain slopes, or sandier bogs in their na-
tive countries.
Climbing nepenthes, compared to the ground creeping types, per-
form that function with tendrils. These are elongations of the leaf,
which help the plant grow out and grasp supports so they can cling to
the more desired locations for their best growth.
Although there are many variations in the pitchers, in size, shape,
coloration, with modifications of mouth as well, all nepenthes bear a
strong family resemblance. T h e pitchers are developed at the end of the
tendril. Some tendrils may be short, others a foot or more in length.
T h e pitchers also vary in size, from an inch or so to over a foot long.
On individual plants you can find several sizes of pitchers in various
stages of growth and maturity. In this respect they are much like the
New W o r l d pitcher plants that sprout pitchers in continuing growth
cycles to replace older ones which mature, dry, and die.
Between species there are striking differences in shape and size. Some
may be long and narrow, with a wider top or bottom. Several are more
like long, hollow cylinders from a few inches to almost a foot long.
T h e y may have caps, hoods, or fringelike mouths. Others include
spinelike hairs around the entrance to the pitchers. Some of the largest
pitchers may grow to nearly 18 inches long, about 4 inches in diameter.
These larger varieties are the ones that most likely led to stories of
animal-consuming plants in those mysterious, faraway jungles. They
can, in fact, catch small birds, rodents, and animals, as well as the more
typical diet of insects. Remember, insects in the tropics are often quite
unusual. Many are much larger than their distant relatives living in
more temperate climates around the world. In consequence, I suspect,
the nepenthes have developed their larger pitchers in which to catch
their larger meals. Although there have been verified accounts of ro-
dents, birds, and small animals caught in the larger nepenthes pitchers,
most seasoned observers and professional botanists believe these plants
intend to attract and devour only insects as their staple diet. Birds or
small animals that have been found inside large pitchers more than
likely entered to go exploring and drowned, or were affected by the an-
esthetic effect of the plant secretions, or just didn't have the room to
flap their wings and fly out again from the restricted space inside the
pitcher.
Nepenthes 95
Most nepenthes trapping devices are formed at the end of long stemlike
portions of the leaves. Here are three examples (left to right): Nepenthes
x superba with an 8-inch pitcher, N. maxima with an SVi-inch pitcher, and
N. x dickinsoniana with a 10-inch pitcher. (Courtesy Longwood Gardens)
mav be harmful to farm crops or shrubs and trees around your homes
enter this country. That's why it does take time to obtain the more ex-
otic species from lands far afield around the world.
If your curiosity is sufficient and and your patience and dedication at
their peak, you can continue collecting such novel wonders as
nepenthes year by year.
They may be nasty to their insect victims, but they do offer new hori-
zons of exploration in this wonderful world of carnivorous plants.
body. They do the final job of absorbing and extracting the nutrients
from the worm for the plant.
Although these carnivores prosper within soil containing nematodes,
they can survive just on decaying organic matter. In this respect, they
and other carnivorous fungi are like the larger insect-eaters. They can
survive quite easily without a plentiful supply of insects or worms.
If your interests in carnivorous plants extend underground to those
microscopic forms, you can actually stimulate these little critters to per-
form for you. T h e loop fungus is especially cooperative. W i t h o u t nema-
todes in the soil, it merely grows steadily on without the loops. Or, at
least, only a few tentative feelers. However, when you obtain some
decaying organic matter or soil that contains nematodes, you can watch
the plant go to work. By looking over samples gathered in your travels
you can probably find some nematode soil, especially in gardens where
cabbage, cauliflower, and their relatives show symptoms of root knot
nematode damage. At this point, take the soil and mix it with a bit of
water, enough to moisten the soil. T h e n , combine the soil with the or-
ganic matter which contains your carnivorous fungi friends. Day by day,
through the microscope, you'll see the lethal loops begin to grow.
From then on, keep an eye open. As the nematodes wiggle about, you'll
eventually catch the action in the lens.
You can continue studies of these carnivorous fungi by cultivating
them and microscopic amoebae and nematodes in agar solutions in
petri dishes.
Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Like other pitcher plants however, it does utilize a hairy upper zone
inside the funnels graduating to a narrower waxy surface deeper inside.
Blooms are attractive and delicate, rather showv white flowers on tall
reddish stems. A l t h o u g h it seldom has performed its customary bloom-
ing in captivity, this plant is b e c o m i n g more available from enthusiasts
who have imported small numbers. According to qualified h o b b y
growers and scientists at arboretums, heliamphora does respond to
sphagnum and peat moss growing m e d i u m with constant high humid-
ity.
T h r e e types of sundews are included in this chapter rather than w i t h
the seemingly related sundews in their o w n chapter. T h e s e are natives
of Australia and nearby areas; they are distinct from the others in
growth pattern, and also a bit more difficult to obtain, so only special-
ists may be interested in pursuing their cultivation.
Drosera binata, the horseshoe sundew, is native to Australia, N e w
South W a l e s , and N e w Zealand. Restrictive export requirements m a k e
it even more difficult to obtain the plants. Seeds are c o m i n g to t h e
United States and growers should soon have limited quantities of seeds
and plants for those w h o wish to observe these horseshoe shaped sun-
108 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
Byblis gigantea exudes sticky digestive fluids whenever an insect lands on its
long leaves. (Courtesy Longwood Gardens)
no Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
way, Byblis gigantea tops all the usual carnivorous plants in size. Grow-
ing from a woody base, it stands 2 feet tall or more and at first glance
looks much like a tall filiformis sundew that had suddenly sprouted far
bevond its normal size. T h e stalks are covered with drops of sticky fluid
on what amounts to tiny tentacles which secrete the juices. This plant
too can sparkle in the sun. In its native habitat Byblis gigantea looks
much like a large, leafless shrub. W h e n plentiful it even expands in a
hedgelike growth pattern. W h a t a plant to grow to keep stray cats and
dogs from trespassing on your property.
Although it dines on insects of various size, this plant has a larger ap-
petite, as you can well imagine. Its sheer size demands more nourish-
ment. Small frogs, lizards, even young birds have been found stuck fast
to the arms and branches of this hungry carnivore. In the few arbore-
tums in which it has been cultivated the plant has not yet reached the
size it achieves in its native land. However, the problem may be that we
have become accustomed to maintaining higher moisture than it
requires. In the wild, Byblis gigantea prefers fairly well-drained sandy
soil, according to Australian botanists. They have propagated it from
root cuttings and report that new plants are quite readily produced this
way. Byblis also seems to store moisture in its roots to tide it over the
drier times of the year.
In far-off Morocco and the dry soil of the hills of Portugal another
strange carnivorous plant awaits its meals. Drosophyllum is a genus sim-
ilar to the sundews, the drosera, but has none of its moist-soil-loving
nature. Drosophyllum is a low, shrubby plant which produces long
leaves bearing two different types of glands. O n e type is red and
stalked, looking much like miniature toadstools around the stem. T h e
other type is green and occurs right at the stem. Farmers have long
picked this and hung it in the house to catch flies, a logical use. W h e n
an insect alights the stalked glands exude a sticky mucilage which func-
tions as the catching mechanism. Although it appears that the tentacles
move, they really don't. Insects are literally drowned by the secretions
of the tall tentacles. T h e n the digestive glands, the green-colored ones
along the stalk, secrete their digestive fluids to absorb the desired nutri-
ents. A mosquito can be completely devoured in about 24 hours by this
remarkably effective digestive process. Only the skeletal remains will be
left to blow or wash away.
Drosophyllum is attractively colored by the reddish tentacles. Flowers
are a bright yellow. At maturity the drosophyllum, or, as it is called in
Portugal, slobbering pine, can grow well as a house plant, up to 18 to 24
inches tall. For culture, sources note that well-drained soil plus humid
air around the plant is necessary- for success. Although it grows well in
Carnivorous Curiosities Among Smaller Families 111
its native areas, plants are seldom available in the United States and
seed swaps are your best bet to obtain this carnivorous plant.
There are other carnivorous plants around the world, of course. Some
undoubtedly have yet to be discovered lurking in the jungles of the Am-
azon or darkest Africa. Strange mountain passes of South America, the
Orient, islands virtuallv unexplored in the South Pacific will probably
yield new discoveries in the years ahead.
We hope that you, once your appetite for pursuing these botanical
wonders is sufficiently whetted, may be among the plant explorers to
discover new exotics. As you do, your n a m e too may be added to the
Latin identification for the plant, to record in history your discovery.
Search on. T h e reading list included in this book is quite complete.
Libraries around the world no doubt hold more facts and figures. Once
you're caught by carnivorous plants, you'll find many exciting new
growing horizons across the world and friends to share your uncommon
interest in these most marvelous of nature's plant wonders.
Experiments with
Carnivorous Plants
that attractant at the edge of farm fields it may be possible to lure in-
sects into a closed chamber in which thev could be killed mechanically,
chemically, or perhaps electrically. T h a t development might eliminate
the need to spray insecticides on certain food crops. This may sound
like a long shot. Perhaps it is. But, in the field of horticultural and agri-
cultural sciences, stranger things have been attempted and accom-
plished.
T h e secrets of carnivorous plants offer exciting challenges; these
amazing plants hold real potential for new discoveries. Perhaps you may
be the one to unlock another mystery in the wonderful world of plants.
W h e t h e r you want to try just a few simple activities or really dig into
advanced botanical studies, one thing is certain. These insect-eating odd-
ities will have surprises in store for you.
For some twenty years I have been in touch with thousands of folks
around the world who share my interest in these botanical wonders.
We have swapped our knowledge by letter, phone, and in person. Dur-
ing my lectures and speeches in cities coast to coast, I've also inter-
viewed thousands of people from all walks of life who are or have been
involved in growing carnivorous plants of all types. Some of the most
interesting experiences have been with students and their teachers as
well as curious amateur plant enthusiasts. I can never tell where the
next unusual project or discovery will come from.
Hundreds of people over the years have suggested many types of ex-
periments, from simple feeding comparisons to far-ranging long-term
studies. Some projects are suitable for simple show and tell activities for
younger students. Others are more highly structured projects for high
school and college level Science Fair studies and reports.
Space won't permit listing the hundreds of projects we have reviewed
individually. Besides, half the fun is trying your own skill at experi-
ments with plants and arriving at amazing discoveries by yourself. So we
have put together in this chapter a broad range of suggested experi-
ments. Some are just simple fun. Others will teach you a bit more of
the little-known secrets of carnivorous plants, and the plant kingdom in
general. Other ideas and recommended study programs will require
more extensive knowledge or at least some dedicated work. How well
you achieve the results you want will depend on many factors, from
your previous experience to your ability to grow and apply experimental
methods.
O n e thing is certain. These projects and these plants will assuredly
put your powers of observation to the test. You'll most likely amaze
yourself with what you can accomplish. We have grouped all the
suggested fun and science study ideas in this chapter. As you develop
your own project, either using one mentioned here or your own varia-
ii 4 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
tions on it, you will find the details about the specific plants in the ap-
propriate chapters of this book.
In addition, to help you with research and background, we have pro-
vided a fairly comprehensive reading list at the end of this book. Most
libraries have useful information about many of the more common car-
nivorous plants in encyclopedias as well as botanical or horticultural
books. Many libraries also can obtain the more detailed and sometimes
technical references you may need for more advanced studies from their
corresponding and associated libraries in your state. We also have pro-
Experiments with Carnivorous Plants 115
that is cocked and ready for its meal. Remember to touch the two trig-
ger hairs so t h a t the trap snaps.
Live insects are best, since their struggles cause the trap to close fully
and stimulate the secretion of the digestive enzymes.
D o n ' t overfeed the traps in the open container. Just one or two in-
sects per plant are sufficient. You will need to add water periodically in
the open terrarium or planter, since moisture does evaporate and es-
cape.
Next, record when the plants snapped shut or were fed.
T h e n , watch t h e m each day and record the date each snapped trap
reopens.
W h e n the plant has its jaws flexed again, let it catch its meals or try
another feeding. At the end of a given time, one m o n t h or several, get
out your ruler.
Measure the size of traps that have been eating, the number of traps
on each of these plants, the condition of the plants. Compare those
nourished plants with those that lived on photosynthesis alone.
T h e n , jot down your findings and write your report.
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
PROJECT 4
PROJECT 5
PROJECT 6
PROJECT 7
use fertilizer is to try giving them some. So, plant several containers.
W h e n plants are almost mature, give several a teaspoon of liquid fer-
tilizer based on the amounts recommended for that particular fertilizer
for house plants. Give some plants a bit more or bit less. As a check,
don't fertilize your control plants.
You'll find out quickly how these plants respond to chemical or even
organic fertilizer. You can also achieve similar comparisons by trying
tests using insect control sprays.
PROJECT 8
Sundews
Although not so active as the quick-snapping habits of the flytrap,
sundews offer opportunities for a variety of study activities.
PROJECT 1
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
PROJECT 4
PROJECT 5
Pitcher Plants
These more passive plants won't provide the fact action of the flytrap
or even the sundews. But, you have a greater range of them for compar-
ative study and there are informative projects to be undertaken with
them.
PROJECT 1
a n d / o r single-edge razor blade and carefully slit the pitcher open. Use
pushpins or straight pins to hold the pitcher open on a board.
W h a t a sight! Try to identify the various insects. You'll probably be
amazed at what the pitcher has eaten in the few short weeks it has
been growing for you.
From this point, you can proceed with studies under the microscope
to better identify the insect bits and pieces and even the bacterial cul-
ture which exists to assist the plant in its digestive process.
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
PROJECT 4
Once you have grown and studied the different varieties, try your
hand at plant cross breeding or hybridizing. Many of these pitcher
plants will cross with each other naturally. In fact, we have found over
the years many natural hybrids in swamps and fields across the country.
You can duplicate nature at home or in the classroom. Once the
plants flower, get out your scissors. Remove the pollen-bearing stamens
from one variety while they are small so they don't begin to self-
pollinate.
T h e n , use the camel's-hair brush to remove pollen from the other va-
riety and transfer it to the pistils of the second variety from which you
have removed the stamens.
You may not succeed the first trv. But try again. It helps to have a
dozen or more of each plant to increase your chances of success.
Keep records when you complete each phase of this work. T h e n , as
seeds form and ripen watch the plants each week. W h e n the seeds are
dark and mature and ready to drop naturally, harvest your crop.
Next step is the most difficult, since it requires careful culture to ger-
minate the seeds. Use a ground or milled sphagnum moss and sterile
sand mixture, well moistened and covered bv a plastic bag or other con-
tainer to insure the needed high humidity.
W i t h care and luck, vou'll find the seeds begin to sprout in several
weeks. Some authorities have suggested placing the seeds in the refrig-
erator for several weeks before planting. We have had success either
way.
If your touch was right and the plants responded, vou'll have
achieved a most amazing result . . . a hybrid pitcher plant created by
your own talents. That's an accomplishment.
PROJECT 5
Butterworts
Although these plants are rather passive, they do exhibit some action
when insects are caught on the stickv leaf surfaces. Some varieties tend
to curl their leaves when stimulated bv insects more than others. T h a t
factor, however, may be more a response to the moisture conditions and
general health of the individual plants than a variety differential.
PROJECT 1
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
PROJECT 4
PROJECT 5
Bladderworts
These mainly aquatic types of carnivorous plants have their own spe-
cial techniques for catching their meals. In fact, they are sometimes so
effective that they catch tiny, just-hatched fish. We have at present sev-
eral gallon containers in which we're working on just such a fish-
catching study.
Unfortunately it is not completed so we can't guarantee how the
project will conclude. Besides, we're just a bit more partial and friendly
toward fish, having raised tropical fish for years. Insect-catching is one
thing. Sacrificing poor baby fish seems a bit more difficult to do, but
then again, many projects are needed in the interests of scientific ad-
vancement.
Since few firms offer bladderworts, you may find it necessary to
trudge along the edges of bogs and roadside ditches looking for these
floating carnivorous plants. T h e illustrations in the bladderwort chapter
provide you with a good guide to the general appearance of the plants.
They bear tiny yellow, bluish, or white flowers on slender stalks,
depending on variety.
126 Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
PROJECT 1
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
that's what they look like, just barely hatched and darting about. T h e
most obvious characteristic is their head and eyes.
Hopefully, within about 10 weeks, you'll have some large bladderwort
plants that have developed respectable-sized bladders. Keep a count of
the fish. N o t e each day, since some may die and float to the top or drop
to the bottom of the aquarium.
T h e reason to keep careful count is that you want to know when
some pinheads are missing. From that point, begin the count of the
bladders. Believe it or not, we and others have seen these tiny fish in-
side the bladders, sometimes with the tail tip still sticking out.
T h e sketch in the bladderwort chapter will show you what to look for
in the typical ready-to-trap bladder, and one that had an aquatic mini-
victim inside it.
Cobra Lilies
Strictly speaking, this n a m e is really a popularized description given
to the strangest of all native American pitcher plants. W i t h its flared
hood, reddish "tongue," and twisted pitchers, the plant does resemble a
cobra snake if you use your imagination a bit.
We have cultured them for many years. During the past several years
this plant has rapidly gained surprising popularity. Although it requires
high humidity to prevent the tender pitchers from drying and is there-
fore harder to care for, it offers excellent study opportunities.
PROJECT 1
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
Combinations
Any of the studies suggested for individual plants or combinations
can be accomplished in terrarium groupings too. In fact, most people
prefer to grow and watch their lively little plant friends at work in a
colorful display.
Here are some projects that can be successfully conducted when you
elect to grow and study a variety of carnivores.
PROJECT 1
PROJECT 2
PROJECT 3
PROJECT 4
Back in the early 1960s the interest in carnivorous plants began to ex-
pand. Perhaps this was a natural outgrowth of the increasing interest in
all plants that developed as people began to w a n t more knowledge of
the wide range of plants they could grow in homes, offices, and schools.
It also can be attributed to the increasing awareness of these fascinat-
ing plants by naturalists and interested plant enthusiasts around the
globe. M o s t likely the increased interest was helped along by the many
different articles which have appeared in the recent decade focusing
closer attention on the wonderful and exciting world of these insect-eat-
ing marvels.
Hundreds of articles have appeared in specialized as well as the popu-
lar press. F r o m features in the Reader's Digest to True magazine, from
newspaper columns and school publications, stories and articles have
provided readers with heightened curiosity about the carnivores of the
plant kingdom. T h a t ' s only natural. T h e s e captivating plants do m a k e
news.
T w o organizations can be credited with m u c h of this long-needed
effort to provide information on carnivorous plants. T h e Plant Oddities
C l u b , through its worldwide membership, began in the 1960s from its
former offices in Basking Ridge, N e w Jersey, to generate enthusiasm for
exploring the mysteries of an ever-increasing range of carnivorous
Organizations, Periodicals, World List 133
plants. Searching through old and current periodicals, the Club, now in
Kennebunk, Maine, issues periodic bulletins to members accompanied
by reprints from many popular and scientific journals.
Another group that has earned well-deserved attention for its part in
building worldwide interest in carnivorous plants is the Carnivorous
Plant Newsletter. It was launched in the early 1970s by co-editors D. E.
Schnell of Statesville, North Carolina, and J. A. Mazrimas of Liver-
more, California. Together these two carnivorous plant enthusiasts
have also helped to organize a global fraternity of carnivorous cultiva-
tors. Their periodic Newsletter is packed with names of subscribers
from the far reaches of the planet.
Equally important, the brief but detailed articles provide new and ac-
curate information about carnivores. Descriptions of growing and
propagating methods, excellent photos and drawings by subscribers pro-
vide a steady supply of information.
In addition, these dedicated carnivorous collectors freely share their
knowledge and their plants. There is a C P N swap shop for seeds, cut-
tings, plants. This enables other enthusiasts to obtain those rare species
from growers in Japan, Europe, South America, and elsewhere in ex-
change for their own local types.
T h e Newsletter also provides details on subscribers' experiments,
from the simple to the far-advanced electronic methods for testing
plant responses.
But perhaps the greatest contribution of Mazrimas and Schnell has
been their compilation of the ongoing world list of carnivorous plants.
For several years they have spent untold dollars in postage corre-
sponding with scientists and carnivorous plant hobbyists obtaining in-
formation about the locations and cultivation of carnivorous plants
from the jungles of Brazil and Java, from the swamps of Canada and
the bayous of Louisiana.
Since this list is expanding constantly it has become an important liv-
ing thing itself. Updating is done periodically in the pages of the Ctrr-
nivorous Plant Newsletter. Subscriptions are available for $2 per year
within the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico; for $3 an-
nually overseas. You can get details from either D. E. Schnell, Rt. 4,
Box 27 5B in Statesville, North Carolina 28677 J p h A. Mazrimas,
or o s e
other growers for an increasingly wide range of plants from around the
country and overseas as well.
W i t h appreciation to Messrs. Schnell and Mazrimas for their untir-
ing efforts we have included in this book, with their permission, a cur-
rent list of t h e carnivorous plants found throughout the world. We
have also included additions from my own and other sources gathered
over the past few years, especially during preparation of this book.
As other carnivorous plant enthusiasts add to the needed store of
knowledge, undoubtedly more detail about plant sources, ranges, and
natural habitats will become available in the years ahead. We plan to
add that information each time this book is revised for future publica-
tion.
D. rotundifolia—Northern D. stricticaulis—Australia
Hemisphere D. sulphurea—Australia
D. rotundifolia x intermedia— D. subhirtella—Australia
United States D. tenella—Argentina
D. rubiginosa—New Caledonia D. thysanosepala—Australia
D. schizandra—Australia D. tomentosa—Brazil
D. scorpioides—Australia D. trinervia—South Africa
D. sessilifolia—Brazil, Guiana D. umbellata—China
D. sewelliae—Australia D. uniflora—South America
D. spathulata—Australia, New D. villosa—Brazil
Zealand, Japan D. whittakerii—Australia
D. spiralis—Brazil D. whittakerii var.
D. squamosa—Australia praefolia—South Australia
D. stenopetala—New Zealand D. zonaria—Australia
D. stolonifera—Australia
Smalle Genera
HELIAMPHORA
IN CANADA
IN IRELAND
National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Eire
Periodic or Permanent Plant Displays
IN ENGLAND
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Randall Schwartz, Box 283, Lenox Hill Station, New York, New York
Plant Oddities Club, Kennebunk, Maine
James Pietropaolo, Canandaigua, New York
Leading Horticultural
Libraries and
Information Centers
CALIFORNIA COLORADO
Arnold Arboretum
The Arborway
Jamaica Plain, 02130 MISSOURI
PENNSYLVANIA 149
SOUTH DAKOTA
During the past several years, carnivorous plants have gained much well-
deserved publicity and popularity. Many articles and information releases
from the Plant Oddities Club have appeared in newspapers and magazines
around the country. In addition, some stories about the club on the As-
sociated Press wire service also gave broad coverage to the topic of these bo-
tanical wonders. Articles in a variety of magazines by botanists as well as
professional writers have contributed to the renewed interest in these unu-
sual plants.
We have included in this book a combination reading list and bibliog-
raphy. I have written numerous articles myself and many other writers have
contributed to the information about these plants. Some have added to the
folklore as well. Among these sources are popular articles, technical bulle-
tins, and complete dissertations. We have tried to compile as extensive a list
as possible, including dates of publication of articles for easier reference
through your local libraries where possible.
Undoubtedly there are valuable references and material which I have
missed in my research for this particular book, although I have been collect-
ing information for twentv years. There are some sources which may be ex-
cellent, but they are published in foreign languages. (My French is rusty and
my Japanese nonexistent.) However, for those of you who wish to pursue all
avenues, I have listed publications in other tongues. The photographs in
some are worth seeing. Perhaps you also read the languages.
Bibliography
"Action Potentials Obtained From Venus Fly Trap" by C. Stuhlman and
E. Darden in Science, 1950
Bibliography and Reading List *53
"American Droseras in Sidney" by Stephan Clemensha, from Carnivorous
Plant Newsletter, reprinted by permission by Plant Oddities Club,
*974
"Butterworts and Bladderworts" by R. E. Stauffer in Journal of the New
York Botanical Gardens, 1950
Carnivorous Plants—Rare Plants That Eat Insects by Allan A. Swenson,
Plant Oddities Club, 1973
Carnivorous Plants Provide Fascinating Science Projects by Allan A. Swen-
son, Plant Oddities Club, 1974
Carnivorous Plant article in BioScience, March 1965
"Carnivorous Plants Bulletin" by Carolina Biological Supply Company,
1965
Carnivorous Plants and the Man-Eating Tree by Sophia Prior, Field Mu-
seum of Natural History, Chicago, 1939
"Carnivorous Plants of the Illawarra Area" by Brian Whitehead, Carnivo-
rous Plant Newsletter, reprinted by Plant Oddities Club, 1974
"Data on Sarracenia flava" by S. T. McDaniel as a Ph.D. dissertation, Flor-
ida State University, 1966
"Development of Dionaea muscipula" by Cornelia M. Smith in the Botani-
cal Gazette of 1929
"Distribution of the Venus Fly Trap" by W. C. Coker, Journal of the
Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, July 1928
"Do Plants Have Feelings?" by Margaret Ronan, Voice, March 1974
"Drosera in the Southeastern United States," a report by L. R. Shinners,
1962
"Drosera in Eastern North America" by F. E. Wynne, Bulletin of the Tor-
rey Botanical Club, 1944
"Evidence of the Hybrid Origin of Drosera anglica" by C. E. Wood, Jr.,
1955
"Flowers That Kill to Eat" by Michael A. Godfrey in National Wildlife,
August 1972, reprinted by permission by Plant Oddities Club, 1974
"Fly in the Sundew" by Terry Ashley and Joseph F. Gennaro, Jr., in Natu-
ral History magazine, December 1971
"Glittering Grabber" by Patricia Hollan in National Geographic School
Bulletin, November 1973
"Identity of Drosera brevifolia" by Carroll E. Wood, Jr., Journal of the Ar-
nold Arboretum, 1966
Illustrations of North American Pitcher Plants by Mary V. Walcott, with
associated notes by Edgar T. Wherry and Frank M. Jones, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D.C., 1935
Insect Paralyzing Agents from the Pitcher Plant Sarracenia flava, by Dr. D.
Howard Miles, Mississippi State University, 1975
"Insect Trapping Plants" by Virgil N. Argo, National History magazine,
1964
"Life on the Sticky Sundew" by Thomas Eisner, Natural History magazine,
*974
*54 Bibliography and Reading List
King's Park and Botanical Garden, 150 Parrot pitcher plants (Sarracenia
psittacina Michaux), 8, 5 1 - 5 3
Lecoufle, Marcel, 150 compared to the purple variety, 52, 53
Libraries and information centers, features of, 52
146-49 flowers of, 53
Lighting, 9 - 1 0 insect-trapping method, 52
Linnaeus, Carl, 14 natural habitat, 5 1 - 5 2
Longwood Botanical Gardens, 95, 98, Peter Paul's Nursery, 150
100, 106, 109, 144 Phipps Conservatory, 144
Los Angeles State and County Pietropaolo, James, 145
Arboretum, 144 Pinguicula caerulea, 82
Pinguicula caudata, 76, 83
Mazrimas, Joseph A., 133, 134 Pinguicula ionantha, 82
Microscopic carnivores, 1 0 1 - 4 Pinguicula lutea, 76, 82
culture of, 103-4 Pinguicula mexicana, 83
diet of, 102 Pinguicula planifolia, 80, 82
food-trapping method, 102-3 Pinguicula primuliflora, 80, 82
strength of, 101 Pinguicula pumila, 80, 82
types of, 102-4 Pinguicula pumila Burnetii, 82
Miles, Dr. Howard, 4 7 - 4 9 Pinguicula villosa, 81, 82
Miniature huntsman's horn (Sarracenia Pinguicula vulgaris 76, 81, 82
Pitcher plants (Sarracenia family), 6, 7,
rubra), 56-60, 1 1 4
9, 10, 4 3 - 5 9 , 107, 150
color of, 56
insect-trapping method, 58 culture and care of, 58-59
propagation of, 56 early writings about, 4 6 - 4 7
Mississippi State University, 47 experiments with, 1 2 1 - 2 4 , 128-32
Missouri Botanical Gardens, 144 hooded type
Mody, Naresh, 48 color of, 54-55
Monacrosporium, 104 flowers of, 56
Montreal Botanic Garden, 144 insect-trapping method, 5 5 - 5 6
Index '59
miniature huntsman's horn Sphagnum moss, 6-7, 10, 18, 19, 28,
color of, 56 4 1 , 67, 69, 81, 99, 105, 107, 108
insect-trapping method, 58 Stansi-Fisher Company, 126
propagation of, 56 Stuhlman, Dr. Otto, 1 4 - 1 5
natural habitat, 43 Sundews (Drosera family), 6 - 1 1 ,
parrot type 32-42, 43, 53, 101, 1 0 7 - 8 , 1 2 1 ,
compared to the purple variety, 52,
53 bracketed variety, 108
features of, 52 culture of, 4 1 - 4 2 , 108
flowers of, 53 diet of, 38
insect-trapping method, 52 experiments with, 1 1 9 - 2 1 , 128-32
natural habitat, 5 1 - 5 2 filiformia variety, 32, 33, 39-42, 120
purple (northern) variety, 4 3 - 4 9 , 52, horseshoe variety, 1 0 7 - 8
105, 1 1 4 , 123 intermedia variety, 8, 4 1 - 4 2 , 120
compared to the parrot type, 52, 53 natural habitat, 32, 107-8
insect-trapping method, 4 4 - 4 6 rotundifolia variety, 35-38, 42, 120
southern variety, 43-46 world list of, 140-42
tall huntsman's horn, 47, 48, 56, 123 Sweet trumpets (Sarracenia
world list of, 134-35 drummondii), 64
Planting medium, 6-8 coloration of, 6 9 - 7 0 , 71
Plant Lites, 10, 130 insect-trapping method, 6 1 - 6 2 , 64-65
Plant Oddities C l u b , 6, 99, 1 3 2 - 3 4 , Sylvania Company, 9, 25, 130
145, 1 5 1 , 152
Purple pitcher plants (Sarracenia Tall huntsman's horn (Sarracenia flavaj,
purpurea gibbosa), 4 3 - 4 9 , 52, 47, 48, 56, 123
105, 1 1 4 , 123 Tiny Terras planter, 2
compared to the parrot type, 52, 53 Trichothecium, 104
insect-trapping method, 4 4 - 4 6 Trinema enchelys Ehrenb., 104
True, 132
Randolph School, 15
Reader's Digest, 132 United States Department of
Reading list, 1 5 2 - 5 5 Agriculture Research Station, 144
Rotifers, 102 University Botanic Gardens at
Royal Botanic Garden (Scotland), 145 Cambridge ( E n g l a n d ) , 145
University Botanic Gardens at Oxford
Royal Botanic Gardens ( E n g l a n d ) , 14,
( E n g l a n d ) , 145
»45 Utricularia cornuta, 91
San Francisco Conservatory, 144 Utricularia inflata, 90
Sarracenia alata, 67, 71 Utricularia intermedia, 90
Sarracenia drummondii, 63, 67, 69, 70 Utricularia minor, go
Sarracenia flora, 47, 48, 56, 60, 6 1 , 65, Utricularia olivacea, 90
Utricularia purpurea, 90
67, 69, 7 0 - 7 1 , 123
Utricularia resupinata, 91
Sarracenia leucophylla, 67, 70
Utricularia subulata, 91
Sanacenia minor, 53, 54, 67
Utricularia vulgaris, 90
Sarracenia oreophila, 67, 71
Sarracenia psittacina Michaux, 52
Vaughan's Seed Company, 151
Sarracenia purpurea gibbosa, 4 3 - 4 4 , 46, V e n u s flytraps (Dionaea muscipula), xii,
70 5-10, 1 3 - 3 1 , 32, 43, 53, 101,
Sarracenia purpurea venosa, 4 3 - 4 4 , 46 1 1 2 , 1 1 4 , 1 2 1 , 150, 151
Sarracenia rubra, 56, 67, 72 blooming period, 27-28
Sarracenia sledgei, 71 bulb of 18-1 g
Sarrazin, Dr., 47 culture and care of, 18-20, 28-29
Schnell, D. E., 133, 134 digestive process, 23-25
Schwartz, Randall, 145, 150 early writings about, 14
Sources for plants, 1 5 0 - 5 1 electrical properties, 1 4 - 1 6 , 30
Southern California, University of, 23 experiments with, 1 1 5 - 1 9 , 128-32
160 Index