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Family: Droseracae.
Genus: Dionaea
Common Name: Venus flytrap; French, dionee; German, Venus
Fliegenfalle.
Origin: North Carolina, South Carolina.
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Habitat:
In its natural habitat, the Venus flytrap prefers savanna plains,
where there are few trees and bushes, like those found in North and
South Carolina. Here
the plants often grow surrounded by grasses and other carnivorous
plants. The plants grow
in a variety of soil types such as peat, sand, or loam.
With an acid ph of between 4 and 5.
The Venus flytrap can withstand full sun but only in soil with
a high moisture content. Plants
are perennial and are able to withstand temperatures of –10F, but
in their natural habitat the temperature rarely falls below 32F.
Seedlings however, are unable to withstand colder temperatures
and will not survive.
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Description.
Adult
plants have a great range in size depending on their environment.
The largest I have personally grown was a total leaf length
of 4 ½ inches including the trap, which was 1 ½ inches in length.
The flower stalks range in height to 14 inches.
The flytrap usually grows anywhere from 4 to 8 leaves in a
rosette formation. It
usually does not have more than 8 leaves because the older traps age
out and turn black. Leaves
grow from a short rhizome surrounded by the base of the petioles.
The petioles are shorter and the traps larger in stronger light.
The petioles lengthen and the traps shorten in subdued light..
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The Trap:
The trap is formed by two lobes at the end of the leaf which
are usually green with a red tint on the inside.
The face of each side of the trap has three hairs (rarely more)
in a triangular formation. They
are surrounded by digestive glands which form the red color.
The periphery of each lobe has a narrow green edging, supplied
with nectar-secreting cells that attract the insects. The outer limit of the lobe is edged with pointed teeth, arranged
so that the teeth mesh when the two lobes close on an insect.
The triggering mechanism
is the three hairs on each leaf.
One of these hairs must be touched twice or one then another
before the trap will close.
In perfect conditions,
closure takes place in one thirtieth of a second and will actually
produce a snapping sound. The speed
changes greatly with rises and fall in temperature or as the trap
becomes older. The double-trigger
mechanism avoids the trap unnecessarily closing on something other
than prey, such as falling plant debris, rain drops, or an accidental
brush. The traps close
by the cells on the outer leaf surface doubling in size forcing the
two lobes together, technically growing shut.
To open, the plant has to increase the cell length on the inner surface, forcing the lobes apart.
This takes a lot of energy and each leaf is only able to do
this about four times before its death, and a new leaf grows.
When accidentally triggered the plant will reopen in 24 hours.
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Flowers:
The flowers are borne on stalks which develop in May or June.
Each plant has one to four depending on its age and size.
The flowers are set in an umbel in groups of two to fifteen.
They are regular star-shaped and have five green sepals, five
white petals, and about fifteen stamens.
Each flower is small, from ½ to ¾ of an inch.
After fertilization, the shiny black seeds mature in about
5 weeks. These can be
sewn immediately or kept in the refrigerator until spring.
Sew them on fine sieved peat.
Germination occurs more rapidly at higher temperatures, but
they must be kept damp at all times.
You may thin the plants after their first tiny traps appear.
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Cultivation:
The compost can be made from pure sphagnum
or pure peat or
a mixture of the two. The
ph must be kept acidic, between 5 and 6. For watering, rainwater is recommend or if not available, distilled
water. If you only have
access to chlorinated water, allow it to sit out for at least 48 hours.
Fertilizers must also be avoided which have disastrous effects.
The nitrogen the plants needs is provided in the digestion of
insects. Never supply morsels of meat for it is not a complete meal
and will only rot the leaves.
The bottom of the container holding the plant should be immersed
in water, approximately ½ inch at all times during the growing season.
The Venus flytrap needs as much sunlight as possible to achieve
optimum growth. When the day length shortens the plant will go semi-dormant.
After this occurs the plant may be stored in a plastic bag in
the refrigerator in its container until spring. |
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Prey:
The prey depends on the size of the trap.
Seedling traps may catch gnats and other small insects whereas
mature traps will catch anything that enters them and is not larger
than the trap.
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Pest and Diseases:
Aphids may be a problem, but don’t usually
kill the plant but may deform it.
On the other hand, the larva of the fungus gnat, will kill
the plant. Any insect
problem can be eliminated by treatment with
Orthene,
a product of Ortho, which can be purchased through your local garden
center.
The flytrap may also be susceptible to fungus in certain growing conditions.
This may be treated with Daconil
2787 which may also be purchased at your local garden center.
Simply follow the directions on the label.
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