What is the flycatcher called? Carnivorous plant Dionaea (Venus flytrap). Latin name: Dionaea muscipula

The Venus flytrap or Dionaea is considered one of the most exotic plants that you can grow at home. Firstly, this plant is carnivorous. Secondly, despite its small size, the flycatcher looks very original and aggressive.

Caring for her is not difficult, but, as they say, not without some frills: she is picky and capricious. It will appeal to those gardeners who like to observe the plant. In this case, the process of obtaining food and absorbing it is original.

Some novice flower growers confuse Dionea with, sometimes with Sundew. Both of these plants are also carnivorous, but that's where their similarities end. They are very different in appearance and care.

Location and lighting

Dionea does not like shade and needs bright sunlight. Compliance with this condition is one of the most important when growing it. Some sources of information on caring for this plant state that for its favorable development you need at least 4 hours a day of bright light. That's true. However, it is worth considering one nuance: the roots of this exotic plant do not tolerate soil heating. If your beauty “lives” in a dark pot, there is a risk of it heating up in the sun. The surface of the pot heats up the soil, which the roots will not like.

To avoid this, either plant Dionaea in a light pot, or make sure that its “home” is heated. A third option is also possible - place it on east or west windows. Do not place a pot of dionaea on the northern windows, it will be dark there.

Another feature: the flycatcher does not tolerate stagnant, musty air. If this condition is not met, it literally withers away. Therefore, the room where she “lives” must be regularly ventilated. In the warm season, the plant can be safely moved to the balcony or garden, to an open space. This is also relevant from the point of view of its “feeding”.

It remains to add that the Venus flytrap does not like “relocations”, rearrangements and movements. It's stressful for her. Therefore, select a place for the plant’s summer location in advance, place the pot and don’t touch it again.

If your plant leads an exclusively indoor lifestyle, pamper it with lighting. It will be sufficient to use a pair of the most common fluorescent lamps with a power of 40 W, placing them no closer than 20 cm from the plant.

Watering mode

No matter how exotic Dionaea is, it still remains a plant and needs watering. True, there are some peculiarities here too. The fact is that the flycatcher is picky not only regarding the composition of the air, but is also extremely sensitive to the composition of the water.

Impurities that are inevitably present in tap water, even settled water, are completely safe for other plants, but are destructive for it. You shouldn’t risk using rainwater: in our environmentally unfavorable times, it is not always clean.

Well, for the rest - everything is the same as for all indoor plants:

The frequency of watering is determined by the condition of the top layer of soil.
It is important to avoid both overdrying and overwatering.
You can water both from above and from below using a tray.

Feeding the flycatcher

Like a true plant, the flycatcher synthesizes the nutrients necessary for life on its own. The exception is the nitrogen-containing “dessert,” but she also obtains this on her own: she catches it and eats it. The feeding process of a flycatcher is quite funny.

She eats organic food only when she is hungry (lack of nitrogen). The rest of the time flies and mosquitoes do not bother her. Moreover, if you try to provoke the plant into eating when she has no appetite, she may simply ignore your attempts to feed her because she is full.

Don't tease this plant for fun! The process of “catching” and “swallowing” food is very energy-intensive for her: slamming the trap-mouth. Moreover, each trap (mouth) is used three times, after which it dies. Given this fact, it is worth remembering which mouth you fed the plant in and use a different one next time. You don’t need to feed all the traps one by one; one or two are enough.

Do not experiment and do not feed the plant from your table. Dionaea reacts only to live food. Nature has endowed it with a special device - especially sensitive hairs or triggers. They react to movement and “give” the command to close the trap and secrete digestive juices, so the plant will not react to the ingress of non-living organic matter.

Remove food particles not eaten by the flytrap, otherwise rotting will begin, which can lead to the death of the plant.

For the green “predator”, the size of the food also matters. She simply won’t be able to handle a “piece” that’s too big. The remains will begin to decompose and rot, which is risky for her life.

The Venus flytrap eats quite rarely - about once every one and a half, or even two months. The process of food absorption is long and gradual: lunch lasts up to 10 days. It is important to remember that “overeating,” or rather, excess nitrogen, is detrimental to this plant. Oversaturated Dionaea gets sick, becoming weak and lethargic.

The Venus flytrap does not feed in winter. At this time of year she rests, including from hunting and digestion.

The plant refuses food in any stressful situation: during transplantation, illness, lack of light, or simply a sudden change in environment. By the way, buying and settling it is such a stress, so do not try to feed the Venus flytrap as soon as you brought it home from the store.

It remains to add that a flytrap placed outside is capable of “feeding” on its own. The fact that the plant has eaten is indicated by closed mouth traps. But you will have to take care of the domestic specimens of this plant yourself, not forgetting about feeding habits.

Wintering and rest period

In autumn, Dionaea prepares for rest: its leaves begin to dry out and turn black, then fall off. The plant itself shrinks, acquiring an unpresentable, unhealthy appearance. Inexperienced gardeners may panic and try to revive the plant by heavily watering it and placing it in the brightest and warmest place.

There is no reason to worry; in such an unsightly form the flycatcher is resting. She doesn’t need light and warmth at all, rather, on the contrary. Place the pot with the plant in a cool, but not necessarily dark, place. It could just be a windowsill where the temperature is below room temperature, or the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. If you have a cellar, then it will also work.

Dionea must “sleep it off”; for her this is not a whim, but a necessity. Leave it alone until mid-February, occasionally checking the condition of the soil: it should be slightly moist. At the end of February, the Venus flytrap wakes up: slowly and lazily. And only towards the end of spring, with the arrival of summer, does it begin to actively grow.

Transfer

But if you still decide to do this, take note of the following transfer rules:

Pot: when choosing a “home”, remember that the flytrap has long (up to 20 cm) roots that grow deep. In addition, its roots are delicate and fragile - this also needs to be taken into account when replanting. We have already talked about the color of the pot.
Soil: peat or its mixture with sand or perlite. There are no other options for this plant.
After planting, place the pot with the plant in the shade for 3-4 days and provide it with regular watering.

Reproduction of Venus flytrap

Children

The process of reproduction by children is quite simple and is used much more often, but in this process Dionaea has its own nuances: this type of reproduction can be used once every 3 years. The plant prefers to grow “in a family”, next to the children and noticeably weakens when they are often separated. Considering this fact, it is convenient to combine the procedure of baby separation with transplantation.

We separate the baby carefully, trying to minimize the trauma to the fragile roots of the flytrap. It will be better if you do this with a sharp knife. After separating the baby from the mother bulb, be sure to disinfect the cut areas using crushed activated carbon or fungicide.

Seeds

No less exotic than the plant itself is propagation using seeds. This is a rather complex and unique process, the effectiveness of which depends on the experience and patience of the grower. Simply put, this method of propagation is only suitable for professionals.

Reproduction using seeds is carried out in the spring, during the flowering of Dionaea. The flycatcher also blooms in a very original way: it throws out a long (especially in comparison with the size of the plant itself) peduncle. It can “grow” up to half a meter in height.

Of course, such a “work” requires a lot of strength from the plant, and therefore not every specimen can handle it, especially if you have a young plant. Such flowering is fraught with pain and loss of strength for the flycatcher. For weak and young flycatchers, flowering often ends very sadly. If you doubt the strength of your flower or purchased a flytrap already with a peduncle, then do not risk the life of the plant - immediately cut off the peduncle.

Peduncle

If your plans include propagating the plant with a peduncle, then it is better to do this when it grows to a length of 4-5 cm. After this, the peduncle is cut off and shallowly, 1 centimeter is enough, buried in peat. The rooted peduncle is covered with a cap, creating greenhouse conditions for it.

Now all that remains is to wait for the young shoots to appear. It won't happen quickly. During the entire waiting period, carefully ventilate the rooted peduncle and keep the soil moist.

The peduncle may dry out over time and have a lifeless appearance, but this does not mean that the process was unsuccessful. We patiently wait for the allotted time - one and a half, two months. If all is well, new growth will appear, meaning that you will have new exotic residents.

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant that is part of the Sundew family. She is the only representative of her kind Dionea. The scientific name of the plant was probably given to it by mistake. From Latin it is translated as “mousetrap”. In Russian, the flower is called Venus in honor of the Roman Venus, the goddess of love and flowers. South America is considered the birthplace of this plant.

The Venus flytrap is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Description, photo and distinctive feature of the Venus flytrap

The Venus flytrap is a small herbaceous plant with a rosette of 4 to 7 leaves, 4 to 7 cm long. The leaves of the Venus flytrap grow from a short, bulbous underground stem. Its flowers are small, shaped like a star, located at the ends of the stems. It blooms in early summer, and its total lifespan is about 7 years. The formation of long trap leaves occurs after flowering. The traps consist of two opposite petals with spikes on the edges. The outer part of them is painted bright green, the inner part is reddish.

Trap closing mechanism

The main feature of this plant is its trap leaves. In nature, they are located quite close to the ground, so insects easily get caught in them. There are small hairs inside each trap; they act as sensors.

Touching the antennae once will not have any consequences. This is necessary in order to avoid “idle” slamming due to raindrops or branches hitting the traps. But when an insect touches two different hairs, the trap instantly slams shut. This happens very quickly, in 0.1 seconds. There is no exact description of the principle of operation of the trap, but scientists believe that it is associated with the instantaneous transfer of water between plant cells.

After the trap is slammed shut, the Venus begins to secrete digestive enzymes and dissolves its prey within two weeks. After which the trap is ready to search for a new victim. During its life cycle, each trap is capable of catching up to 7 insects.

Rules for caring for a Venus flytrap at home

Place the Venus flytrap so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight

In its natural environment, the Venus flytrap can be found in southeastern Northern California, as well as in northeastern Carolina. It grows in open, sunny, wet meadows or swamps. Venus prefers swamps with peat and sandy soil. It can grow indoors, but to do this it is necessary to create conditions as close as possible to its natural habitat.

Location, lighting and optimal temperature

The Venus flytrap is a light-loving plant. She needs at least 4-5 hours of light per day. The optimal location for it would be western and eastern windows. You can also place it in the south, but you should be careful not to expose the Venus flytrap to direct sunlight through the glass. They can be destructive to the plant. Therefore, if it is impossible to avoid placing it on southern windows, then during the summer daytime it is better to move the plant deeper into the room or shade it directly on the window. When placed on northern windows, Venus will not have enough light; in this case, artificial lighting can help.

As for temperature, Venus is quite hardy. In winter, it can be kept in bright rooms with a temperature of about 5–10 degrees, but if necessary, it will withstand lower temperatures. From spring to late autumn it can be kept outdoors, for example on a balcony or in the garden.

Humidity and watering

Important - do not allow the soil to dry out

During the growth period (from spring to autumn), Venus needs abundant watering. Do not allow the soil to dry out. You can even place the pot with Venus in a tray with 1-2 cm of water. It should be watered with distilled or filtered water at room temperature. During winter dormancy, Venus plants in cool rooms are watered infrequently.

For a comfortable existence of the Venus flytrap, humidity must be maintained at 70%. To do this, you can constantly spray Venus or grow it in a terrarium.

Soil and fertilizer

The Venus flytrap prefers moist, poor and acidic soil, as its natural habitat is the Carolina swamps. Such soil can be achieved by mixing equal parts sphagnum moss and perlite. You cannot use universal soil for Venus; she will simply die in it.

The flycatcher does not need to be fed with fertilizers. There is also no particular need to feed it with insects, since the plant receives its nutrition from photosynthesis. But, if you have a desire to do this, and your plant is healthy, then you need to follow several rules:

The trap will close only if the insect caught in it moves. Therefore, remember that you need to feed Venus only with live insects.
You can’t feed Venus with specific foods.. Flies or mealyworms, or any small arthropods are suitable for feeding. Never feed your flycatcher regular food, as it will not be able to digest it and will die.
You need to feed Venus no more than 2 times a month.
You can only feed 1-2 traps.

You can’t feed Venus if:

not weakened or sick;
experienced stress, for example, in the form of sunburn;
is in a period of rest;
was recently transplanted.

Transplantation and propagation of Venus flytrap

The Venus flytrap propagates by cuttings, seeds and bulbs

Transplantation must be carried out every 2-3 years. This is best done in the spring, when Venus begins to grow. For more successful acclimatization, the day before transplantation, you can treat Venus with Epin (2-3 drops of solution per 200 g of water). Prepare a special substrate for transplantation. If it is possible to check the acidity of the soil, then keep in mind that it should be at a level of 3.5-4.5 pH.

When transplanting, the earthen lump must be carefully removed from the pot and the bulb separated from the ground. Try not to touch the traps when replanting. Deepen the Venus flytrap in the new pot so that the substrate covers all the whitish areas of the bulb. After transplanting, it would be optimal to place the pot in a tray and treat it again with Epin.

The main propagation options for Venus flytraps are: seeds, cuttings and bulbs.

Propagation by cuttings

On an adult plant you can see several growth points. This is the material for reproduction. The cuttings are cut at the base of the leaf and transplanted into the soil. Cover with film to create a greenhouse effect. It is necessary to constantly maintain a warm temperature within 25 degrees and high humidity. It is best to sprinkle the cut areas of the plant with crushed coal to avoid rotting.

Propagation by seeds

Seeds are sown in early autumn. Pure peat is suitable as soil. They are laid out on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with sifted peat. It is necessary to create a small greenhouse for the seeds with heating and lighting. It is better to water through a tray; the soil should be constantly moist. After about a month, with proper care, the seeds should germinate. With the onset of spring, the flycatcher must be gradually weaned off the sweat of the greenhouse, at the same time a dive is carried out. It is done carefully so as not to damage the root system.

Propagation by bulbs

Over time, Venus produces daughter bulbs. They need to be cut with a sharp knife and replanted. You need to ensure that the roots of the bulbs you cut are well developed. The cutting areas of the mother plant must be treated with crushed coal to avoid rotting.

Diseases, pests and possible problems during cultivation

This occurs due to hard water

Like all insectivores, Venus is rarely affected by pests. Occasionally it can be attacked by spider mites and aphids. If there is excessive humidity, the flower can be affected by gray rot or black sooty fungus. In this case, Venus can be treated with a fungicide.

Possible problems during cultivation:

the leaves turn yellow but do not fall off. Most likely, there is excess calcium in the soil or you are watering the Venus with too hard water;
leaves turn yellow and fall off. This is a consequence of insufficient watering and dry soil.
Brown spots appeared on the tips of the leaves. This is a sign of overfertilization of the plant due to high doses or too frequent use. The spots can also be caused by sunburn;

Watch a short excerpt from the program on the Venus flytrap.

If you want to have a flower with the habits of a predator at home, then the Venus flytrap is what you need. Watching a flower slam its traps is a fascinating experience. Caring for a Venus flytrap at home is quite complicated; you not only need to feed the plant on time, but also provide suitable conditions during the growing season and winter dormancy.

The Venus flytrap or Dionaea belongs to a small community of plants capable of rapid movement. In its genus Dionea, it is the only representative of the species, although it has distant relatives in the person of Aldrovanda vesiculata and sundews, from which, apparently, it originated.

The natural distribution area of the Venus flytrap is small: swamps in the southern part of the USA (Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida). There it is on the verge of extinction. But in indoor culture, Dionea is quite widespread, but mainly abroad.

In nature, the Venus flytrap is a compact plant and 15cm is its greatest height. From a short underground bulbous stem grows 4 to 7 leaves forming a rosette. Flowering is observed in spring. The peduncle is long so that pollinating insects that fly to white flowers do not accidentally fall into the trap.

When flowering ends, new traps form at the ends of the elongated leaves. In the natural form, their inner walls have a reddish tint. After being introduced into culture by the method of hybridization and subsequent selection, hybrid forms were created that were highly decorative. The number of plant hybrids has exceeded 25 - they differ in the color of the leaves, the shape and size of the cloves, and differences can also occur in plants of the same variety.

The following hybrids are the most decorative:

Red Dragon. The color of the leaves and traps is red-burgundy. Requires maximum illumination, otherwise the color will fade.
Low Giant. Has the biggest traps.
Jaws. The traps are reddish on the inside and green on the outside. The shape of the teeth is triangular.
Long Red Fingers. The hybrid is prone to mutation, can form crossed and fused traps, their shape is cup-shaped, and the color of the long teeth, which sometimes grow together, is red.
Bristletooth. The traps are red, the teeth are sparse and short, and produces many babies.
Fondue. It has a high ability to mutate, so plants within a variety can differ greatly from each other.

Venus flytrap: growing features

This exotic plant naturally lives in swamps, so it requires high humidity in the pot. There is practically no nitrogen in peat soil, and therefore the plant has adapted to eliminate its deficiency by feeding on animal food - small insects. In nature there is no shortage of them, and in the room the food for the Venus flytrap should be provided by a florist.

Home care

Caring for a Venus flytrap differs in many ways from that for other indoor plants, and all because of the specific conditions in which the flower is accustomed to living. He will not tolerate even the slightest violation of care and can respond to it with illness and even death.

Soil requirements

Dionea does not need soil in the usual sense.

But the growing substrate must meet the following requirements:

acidity ranging from 3.5 to 4.5;
a composition of high-moor acidic peat mixed with perlite, taken in a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1 (perlite is preliminarily kept in distilled water for 7 days, changing it at least twice);

Sometimes a mixture of high peat and quartz sand is used in proportions of 2:1 or 3:1. Ordinary river sand will not work, but quartz sand is washed first with running and then with distilled water. It is possible to replace sand with ground quartz, which must be washed in the same way.

Optimal conditions of detention

Lighting

For Dionea, sunlight is very important, without which photosynthesis is simply impossible. 4-5 hours of direct sunlight per day is the minimum requirement. This amount is sufficient when the rest of the time the plant is also well lit. If it is not possible to provide the Venus flytrap with this amount of natural light, you need to supplement it with two small fluorescent lamps installed 20 cm above the plant or a sodium phytolamp.

The length of daylight hours during the growing season should be from 14 to 16 hours. Don't be afraid to take your pet to a sunny balcony or garden in the summer. She will be at her best there from spring to autumn. And it will solve the problem of eating outdoors on its own.

The position of the flower pot in relation to the light should not change. It cannot be rotated.

Some gardeners place Dionaea in an indoor aquarium or florarium. Such content can be detrimental to the plant due to lack of air exchange and high air humidity. As a last resort, you can use a low aquarium without a lid, making sure to adjust the watering.

Humidity

For Dionea, air humidity can vary widely: from 35 to 70%. The plant responds positively to spraying with water, and when kept outdoors it is simply necessary. The Venus flytrap loves fresh air, but does not respond well to drafts.

The flower requires careful handling. The traps should not be touched with your hands, as this will cause them to turn black and fall off. If there is no desire to propagate Dionea by seeds, it is better to cut off the peduncle before flowering, which greatly depletes the plant, this is especially important for plants that have not yet wintered.

Watering the plant

Proper watering is one of the conditions not only for the health of the Venus flytrap, but also for life.

It is carried out depending on the method of keeping the plant. Basic patterns:

watering only with distilled water;
its temperature should not differ from the ambient temperature;
use only the method of watering through a tray;
at room temperature, pour water into the pan in a layer of 0.5 cm once every 1-2 days;
if the flower is located outside, there should always be water in the pan; it should be added so that the water layer is at least 0.5 cm;
water for irrigation is acidified by adding 1 drop of 99% formic acid per 10 liters of water, but this should be done infrequently;

The substrate should not be allowed to dry out; the soil should be constantly moist, but it should not be allowed to become muddy.

Feeding and fertilizer

This plant does not require traditional fertilizers for indoor flowers. Its food is live insects, but not just any insects. You can feed Dionea flies, bees, and she will not refuse spiders and even slugs. The size of the insect should be 2 times smaller than the trap, and it is better if they are very small. During the growing season spent indoors, only three feedings of 1 insect are sufficient. If Dionea spends the summer outdoors, there is no need to feed her - she will find food on the street herself. A store-bought plant is fed for the first time after it grows 3-4 leaves in new conditions. In winter, the flower does not need nutrition.

How to replant correctly?

The frequency of transplants depends on the degree of mineralization of irrigation water. If the salts in it are less than 5 mg per 1 liter, then it can be replanted after a year, otherwise an annual replantation is needed. It is carried out in late spring or early summer. How to replant?

The day before transplanting, spray the plant with Epin.
Prepare a tall, but not too wide pot with plenty of drainage holes.
Fill part of the pot with substrate.
Hold the plant above the bulbs without touching the traps.
Immerse in the substrate so that all the light parts are covered with it.

A plant purchased in a store is immediately transplanted into a self-prepared substrate, spilling it with the drug “Ribav-extra”.

Wintering

This plant has a highly seasonal growing season. Therefore, in winter it is in a state of deep dormancy for 3-4 months. Dionea needs to be prepared for wintering gradually, lowering the temperature and reducing daylight hours. It will take about a month to prepare. The optimal temperature for keeping a flower is 0-5ºС. For the first wintering it is slightly higher - 5-7 degrees Celsius. If the plant has already wintered, it may be lower. The critical limit is minus 10 ºС.

Dionea herself will tell you that it’s time for her to go to winter. With proper preparation, the leaves become wider and the traps become smaller, located horizontally.

In case of wintering at low positive temperatures, Dionea is watered in a tray if the top layer of the substrate dries out a little. At temperatures above plus 5 degrees, it is also illuminated with one fluorescent lamp with cold light, suspended at a height of 20 cm above the flower, giving it an eight-hour daylight hours. The water used to water the flower during this period should not differ in temperature from the surrounding air.

If there is no cold place for wintering indoors, the flower can be placed in the refrigerator for the dormant period.

But first you need to prepare it:

after shortening the daylight hours and gradually lowering the temperature, the pot with the flower is spilled with a fungicide diluted in distilled water (but only in cold water), and the flower itself is sprayed with the solution;
put a plastic bag on the pot with it, in which 2 holes are made for ventilation;
placed in a refrigerator where the temperature is from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius;
The plant does not need light at this time, but once a month it is necessary to moisten the top layer of the substrate with distilled water at the same temperature as in the refrigerator. After such wintering, the plant should be transplanted into a new substrate, all dead leaves and traps should be removed.

During the period of winter dormancy, Dionea does not need food.

Venus flytrap: reproduction

Dionea is propagated by daughter bulbs, sowing seeds and leaf cuttings. Before you figure out how to grow it from seeds collected from hybrid plants, you need to take into account that future seedlings will not repeat the parental characteristics.

Cuttings

For propagation by cuttings, leaves cut as close to the bulb as possible with a sharp knife are suitable.

Cutting process:

lower the cuttings into the heteroauxin solution, hold for 20 minutes;
sterilize high-moor peat;
pour it into a container with drainage holes in a layer of 2 cm;
we bury all the white and a little green part of the cutting at an angle into peat moistened with a fungicide solution;
We create greenhouse conditions - 100% humidity, temperature about 23ºС and maximum illumination.

After 5 weeks, the first leaves should appear, and after 3 months the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

How to grow from seeds?

If you want to collect seeds from your own plant, the flowers are pollinated with a soft brush, transferring pollen from the stamens to the pistil. If the flower is pollinated, it will quickly wither. The seeds are ready when the capsule begins to crack. They require stratification for 4 weeks if they have just been collected and more than 6 weeks if they have been lying around for more than 3 months.

Stratification can be combined with sowing:

sow in a pot on moistened peat or sphagnum moss;
spray with fungicide;
place in a sealed bag;
put in the refrigerator, where the temperature is from 5 to 7 degrees;
do not forget to check for the appearance of mold, fight it with Maxim diluted in distilled water at a temperature of 5 degrees, then dust it with colloidal sulfur;
after 4-6 weeks, we take out the pot and place it under fluorescent lamps with daylight hours of about 16 hours, temperature – 27ºС;
when the shoots appear, we begin to accustom them to the environment, ventilating them little by little, then remove the bag;
we plant after 4-5 months.

Bulbs

Each Dionaea bush produces about 7 leaves; if their number is larger, the plant has children that can be separated during transplantation and planted in a separate pot. This is the best way to propagate hybrids - the new plant will be a copy of the parent.

If the traps are frequently irritated, they dry out, since they are designed for no more than 7 food digestion processes. Any rotten parts of the plant are cut out to healthy tissue, dusting the cut with crushed coal or colloidal sulfur.
If Dionea's leaves turn yellow, you need to change the water for irrigation to distilled water. If the leaves not only turn yellow, but also fall off, adjust watering upwards.
If the leaves stretch out and their bright color fades, the flower does not have enough light.

The Venus flytrap, or Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that grows in the peat bogs of pine forests in the eastern United States, near the Atlantic Ocean, where the climate is humid and temperate. It became carnivorous in the process of evolution due to a lack in the soil of the main nutrients necessary for the growth and development of the plant.

The soil on which the Venus flytrap grows is deficient in nitrogen, and its balance is shifted to the acidic side. Without a sufficient supply of nitrogen to the plant body, it is difficult for the plant to synthesize proteins and thereby continue to grow. Therefore, to replenish nitrogen reserves, the Venus flytrap hunts insects and digests them. This means that every fly or ant caught and digested by this plant acts as a nitrogen fertilizer, stimulating the growth and development of Dionaea muscipula.

The Venus flytrap hunts for insects with the help of leaves (the plant has 4 to 7 of them), which have a unique structure. A plant leaf has two main areas:

The wide part is called the base of the leaf. All conditions for photosynthesis and nutrition through the root system are present here.
The part that acts as a trap is called the leaf blade.

The blade is located along the edge of the leaf, which consists of two halves connected by a longitudinal vein. Each flycatcher trap has two to five "trigger hairs" on each lobe (there are usually three). Along the edge of the blade there are teeth shaped like fingers. In Latin they are called cilia. When the trap slams, these fingers intertwine. The base of the leaf and the blade (trap) are connected by a part called the petiole (a botanical term for the stem part of a leaf).

Closing mechanism

The top of each side of the Venus flytrap trap is colored with anthocyanins, pigments that give the surface of the trap a red color. This coloring is the main bait for insects in this plant. The trap cells also secrete a sticky substance, which is a type of protein. After the insect crawls into the trap, it begins to flounder on the slippery and sticky surface, greedily licking off the substance, touching the trigger hairs that signal the trap to slam shut.

The trap closing mechanism of the Venus flytrap can be divided into four main phases:

Initial slamming.
Compression phase.
Sealing phase.
Re-opening phase.

The "trigger hairs" are indicators for the plant, which by their vibrations determines that potential prey is trapped. If two hairs are touched at once or one hair twice in a row within 30 seconds, the trap slams shut in a tenth of a second.

The slamming motion of the Venus flytrap is one of the fastest movements that plants are capable of. The amount of time it takes for Dionaea muscipula to collapse depends greatly on the ambient temperature, light, plant health and other factors. However, the trap of a healthy plant in warm conditions slams shut very quickly.

The details of the slamming process are actually quite complex. Scientists are currently researching this process and have put forward various hypotheses, which include an instantaneous increase in cell size and an "unstable latch state" that are under the control of this plant.

Recent research conducted in 2005 by Harvard scientists shows that the Venus flytrap's trap slamming mechanism is based on biochemical and elastic processes. They cause the leaf tissue to stretch to the point of instability, and after touching the hairs, the plant instantly pumps water into the leaf, causing slamming.

Compression phase

If the initial slamming of the trap is successful, the compression phase begins, which lasts about half an hour. The process looks like this. During the struggle, the insect inside the trap continues to touch the “trigger hairs.” This signals the flycatcher that it needs to further clamp the flaps to keep the victim inside. If the insect is small enough, it can slip through the teeth of the trap and escape.

The compression phase does not occur if the slamming is unsuccessful in finding prey. This happens if, when the flaps collapse, the insect manages to get out of the trap or vibrations of the hairs occur, caused by other leaves, raindrops, or a person who stuck his finger there. Then the trap begins to slowly open and opens completely in a day or two. But if such touching of the hairs occurs several times, it can lead to blackening and death of the trap. In subsequent times, the rate of collapse of the same trap drops significantly.

Sealing and opening phases

If the trap successfully captures the prey and the insect does not escape before the compression phase begins, the sealing phase begins. During this phase, the teeth of the trap move forward and outward, so that they stop intertwining with each other. As a result, the edges of the flytrap lobules (blades) on both sides are tightly pressed against each other. When the seal becomes dense and impenetrable, digestive enzymes begin to be released. The insect drowns in them and is gradually digested.

Over the next 5-12 days, the trap remains closed during digestion. At this time, digestive enzymes continue to be released, dissolving the soft tissues of the insect. Nutrients contained in the tissues of the insect are released in a form in which the flycatcher leaf can absorb them.

The amount of time required to completely digest the prey depends on the age of the insect, the trap, and the ambient temperature. The larger the insect, the longer digestion takes. The older the trap, the slower the digestive enzymes are released; the warmer the weather, the faster digestion occurs.

For an ideal “lunch,” the insect should be one-third the size of the trap. If the insect is too large or any part of it is hanging out of the trap, the seal may not be tight. Because of this, the trap may die. It turns black, dies and falls off the plant. The base portion of the leaf will continue to supply energy to the plant through photosynthesis, but it will no longer grow new serrated blades capable of hunting.

After finishing lunch, the leaf absorbs substances along with the digestive fluid that the plant received as a result of digesting the prey. This signals the plant to open the trap again. All that remains by this time after lunch is the exoskeleton of the insect. It can be washed away by rain, blown away by the wind, but it can also serve as bait for the next victim. Very often spiders or ants are lured by the corpse, which ends up being the next meal for the Venus flytrap.

After several successful hunts in a row, the trap stops functioning. The plant itself lives much longer: under favorable conditions, it can function for twenty years.

Growing a plant at home

Although the Venus flytrap is found naturally only in the eastern United States, it can also be grown at home. This plant is very picky and therefore requires careful care. Experts recommend growing Dionaea muscipula in an aquarium, which will provide the plant with the necessary level of humidity. The Venus flytrap should not be placed either in the shade or in the sun, otherwise it will quickly die. The ideal option is to grow it on a window located on the east side of the house.

You cannot touch the Venus flytrap. If you even slightly touch the trap a couple of times, after some time the trap will turn yellow and fall off.

Dionaea muscipula should not be watered with tap water: rain or distilled water is better; fertilizers should not be added to the water. This must be done carefully, making sure that the soil is moist and not wet, otherwise the root system of the plant will begin to rot. The Venus flytrap needs to be sprayed several times a day.

You need to feed the flycatcher once every fourteen days. It is not advisable to put dead insects: only live ones. It’s even better if Dionea hunts on her own. For this purpose, live insects must be placed in the aquarium. Dionaea muscipula can handle the rest on its own. At the same time, she will be able to decide independently when she needs lunch.

In winter, the Venus flytrap will hibernate for 2-5 months - and decrease in size. The leaves turn brown and fall off. This allows the plant to continue its life as long as possible.

Dionaea muscipula, also called the Venus flytrap, is the most famous predator plant on the North American continent. This is the only species in the genus.

Venus flytrap(lat. Dionaea muscipula) is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionaea of the Sundew family (Droseraceae). The scientific species name (muscipula) is translated from Latin as “mousetrap”, probably due to a botanist mistake, at least that’s what is commonly believed. The species received its Russian name in honor of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and plants. The English name of the species (Venus flytrap) corresponds to the Russian one.

An adult flytrap (it catches and assimilates not only flies, but also mosquitoes and other insects) usually does not exceed 15 cm. In spring, the Venus flytrap blooms with white flowers on a long peduncle.

The original habitat of the carnivorous Dionaea is peat bogs in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina (USA). Venus flytraps grow in an area called “savanna” - consisting of relief low-lying “islands” with an area of 1 to 5 hectares (no more than fifty of them have survived in their virgin form).

The Venus flytrap trap consists of two halves - valves, vaguely reminiscent in their structure of the opening shells of mollusks. Along the edges of the valves there are two rows of denticles. Along the rim of the valve, along the inner row of denticles of the trap, glands are located. They produce and secrete a pleasant-smelling nectar that attracts insects into the trap. Each of the two internal flat surfaces of the Dionaea trap is equipped with three trigger hairs. If insects repeatedly touch these hairs while absorbing nectar, the trap begins to close.

At first, the Venus flytrap trap is only slightly covered, and the insects have the opportunity to move back and forth within the trap. If the insect is small, in principle, it has a chance to avoid the deplorable fate of being eaten and escape by slipping through the hole between the teeth. When this happens, the triggers stop stimulating and the trap opens completely again (after about a day). This response mechanism is simply necessary for Dionea: it is it that helps prevent the loss of time for “false triggering” of the trap due to extraneous interference (for example, raindrops, wind-blown sticks, twigs or chitinous insect shells).

But if a bug caught in the Dionaea trap cannot get out of it, then the stimulation of the triggers continues, the trap closes more and more tightly. The digestion process begins. Digestive juice is abundantly secreted from the glands located on the inner surfaces of the valves of the Venus flytrap trap - the insect completely drowns in this liquid. The trap remains closed for several days. When it finally opens, only the undigested chitinous shell of the former insect is revealed. Each Venus flytrap trap is designed for about three digestive processes, and then it dies.

There are two alternative hypotheses for the effect of this impulse. According to one of them, these cells quickly release hydronium ions into the cell walls, loosening and causing their rapid swelling by osmosis. According to the second hypothesis, cells in the inner layers of the lobes and the middle part of the leaf quickly secrete other ions, and water is also released by osmosis, leading to cell collapse.

If the prey is unable to free itself, it continues to stimulate the inner surface of the leaf blades, causing cell growth. Eventually, the edges of the sheets close, completely closing the trap and forming a “stomach” in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which all that remains of the prey is an empty chitinous shell. After this, the trap opens and is ready to catch new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.

The Venus Flytrap is perfect not only for decorating a window sill, but also for an interesting introduction to your children into the fascinating and entertaining world of nature.

The first and most common misconception about the Venus Flytrap is that it requires very difficult care, since it comes from southern latitudes, and that it is very demanding of high temperature and humidity. In fact, these plants come from fairly cold northern latitudes, and they are perennials.

These plants are found naturally in southeastern Northern California, growing in open, sunny, moist meadows. In addition, the Flycatcher grows in the northeastern swamps of South Carolina, preferring swamps with peaty and sandy soil. Despite the fact that flycatchers grow in swamps, they are extremely intolerant of stagnant air and require several hours in the sun. During the winter dormant period, the vital activity of plants decreases; at such a time, they prefer low temperatures and short days, that is, a much smaller amount of sunlight compared to the summer period.

In order to achieve significant success in growing this plant, extreme attention should be paid to the conditions in which the Flycatcher grows in nature and what its corresponding requirements are for the natural factors surrounding it.

The Venus Flytrap's growth cycle consists of four periods, with different types of growth in each period. In the spring, emerging from winter dormancy, the plant produces a rosette of leaves 2-4 inches (5-10cm) in diameter. at the same time, several stems with white flowers may appear.

Several more types of leaves appear in the summer. On top of the lower leaves that press low to the ground, new ones grow, which are held quite high on the stems above the ground. Traps grow from them. Trapped leaves grow continuously, replacing their dead predecessors.

As the days begin to get shorter and colder, the plant begins to prepare for hibernation, during which time only the lower rosette of leaves remains.
Flycatcher is a semi-evergreen plant. Even in winter, a few leaves remain on the surface. The leaves are fairly frost tolerant, but may die off in extreme cold. The underground part remains alive. Tiny bulbs that resemble lily bulbs are gaining strength to sprout wildly next spring.

The flycatcher can be grown in gardens simulating swamps, terrariums with the appropriate microclimate, even if you decide to keep it on the windowsill, it will feel quite good. If the plant grows on a windowsill, place the pot with the Flycatcher in a tray or container, into which pour 2-3 centimeters of rain or distilled water. Under no circumstances should the soil be allowed to dry out. The plant should be kept in a window where it will be guaranteed several hours of light, preferably in the morning, since poor sun can scorch the plants. Probably the most interesting thing for the owners of the Flycatcher is its feeding; after all, it is for this purpose that carnivorous plants are usually purchased, but it should be in moderation. The flycatcher should be given soft insects that can be easily digested by its traps. If you overfeed the leaf, it may die. In no case should you feed Mukholova with fried and raw meat, or very large insects, since they are not completely digested by the plant, which causes the process of rotting inside the trap to begin.

Providing a sufficient and natural amount of light for the Flycatcher every day will help the plant enter a state of winter dormancy in time. This will be a consequence of the reduction in the amount of sunlight closer to autumn. At this time, new leaves practically do not grow, and only a small rosette of them remains. The flytrap should be provided with a low temperature so that the plant enters a state of winter dormancy. The pot with the plant can no longer be kept in a pan of water, but at the same time, make sure that the soil does not dry out, then the Flytrap should be placed in a room with a temperature of 2 - 10 ˚C. An unheated basement or room, or a compartment in the refrigerator, with an appropriate temperature, is perfect for this purpose. When storing the flytrap in the refrigerator during the winter, the pot with the plant should be placed in a plastic bag to prevent the soil from drying out. Lighting during this period is not at all necessary for the Flycatcher; nevertheless, during the winter it must be checked regularly to prevent drying out, or vice versa, rotting. Hibernation is extremely important for this plant; if it grows continuously throughout the year, it may die from lack of energy.

With the onset of warm spring days, the plant can be moved back to its original place, and its growth will soon resume. At this time, the Flycatcher blossoms and noticeably increases in size. During the same period, it can be replanted using peat or peat-sand mixture. You cannot use regular garden soil mixtures as they are not suitable for Flytrap in terms of acidity.

Growing Flycatchers in terrariums simulating a swamp is practically no different from growing them in pots. The only difference is that it is a little more difficult to provide adequate lighting in a terrarium. For normal growth of the Flycatcher, a terrarium with a volume of 40-75 liters will be sufficient. The bottom of the terrarium can be lined with a layer of moss and peat, or a peat-sand mixture. Since the soil must always be moist, a drainage layer is not necessary. Only distilled or rainwater should be used for irrigation, as minerals from untreated water will accumulate in this soil. In order to provide sufficient lighting, you can use a 40-watt fluorescent lamp, which should be installed at a height of 20-30 cm above the plants. It should be taken into account that the higher the terrarium, the more difficult it is to illuminate it. The duration of artificial lighting should be adjusted depending on the season. During the Flycatcher's transition to winter dormancy, the terrarium should be moved to an unheated basement or room, or removed from the terrarium, leaving some moss and peat, placed in plastic bags and transferred to the refrigerator.

If the climatic zone allows, Venerina Mukholova can be grown in a garden outside, having previously created the required conditions. At the same time, it will feel and look much better than when grown in flowerpots or terrariums. The flycatcher is planted in pots with a depth of at least 20 cm and a width of at least 30 cm. For planting, a peat and peat-sand mixture is used, on top of which it is advisable to lay a layer of moss so that the peat is not washed out during rains and thunderstorms. You need to make sure that the plants do not dry out and at the same time you need to choose a well-lit place. When the Flycatcher grows in the fresh air, it can feed itself and will delight you with excellent results. Being constantly in the fresh air, with natural lighting, it will bloom in time and go into winter dormancy. If the winter in your region is not very cold, the Flycatcher can be left to spend the winter outside, otherwise it is better for it to overwinter in a cold basement or refrigerator, as described earlier.