Dionaea muscipula, Also known as Venus flytrap, it is a species of carnivorous plant belonging to the Droseraceae family. This species obtains most of its nutritional requirements from the digestion of living organisms, especially insects..
The trap - fly catcher - is made up of a terminal leaf with two blades that present sensitive trichomes on the inside. When the insect makes contact with the trichomes the trap is activated, but closes only if the contact is repeated within the next 20 seconds.
The Venus flytrap is a short plant that grows on poor soils, deficient in essential elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen. They are slow-growing species that survive in sandy soils with a high content of peat on a continuous basis..
It is a species native to the coastal marshy regions of the southeastern US, specifically in the state of South Carolina. Despite its reduced habitat, it is successfully transplanted and cultivated as long as the environmental conditions are right..
Often its propagation is through seeds, leaf and stem cuttings, or occasionally by apomixis of the flower stem. Ornamental producers use the technique of tissue culture to obtain genetically identical seedlings to the mother plant.
Recent studies have made it possible to determine the presence of enzymes related to the digestive activity of the plant when digesting its prey. In fact, several secondary metabolites have been isolated that have a direct effect in the treatment of digestive and respiratory diseases and in the prevention of cancer..
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Dionaea muscipula It is a short plant with an underground bulbous stem from which a rosette of 4-7 leaves emerges. The size of the stem varies from 3-10 cm depending on the environmental conditions and the number of rosettes generated from the rhizome..
The specialized leaves or traps are formed after flowering and are 2.5 cm long, although some varieties can reach 5 cm. It is common to observe colonies with a large number of leaves, this is due to the division of the underground rhizome.
Each leaf or trap is made up of two sheets hinged through the central vein that contain a series of trichomes. As well as a flat and short petiole with a heart shape that has photosynthetic capacity.
The plates contain inside three trichomes with red anthocyanin pigments that secrete a mucilage. In fact, this mucilage has a sweet and attractive smell that is a sticky substance used to trap insects..
When an insect lands on the sheet, it activates the trap by coming into contact with two of the three internal trichomes. The leaves are slammed shut due to a sudden plant movement resulting from contact for a very short period of time.
This mechanism has the ability to distinguish between live prey or physical stimuli, such as drops of water or the action of the wind. In this regard, for the trap to close, a double stimulus must occur on one of the trichomes in rapid succession or touch two trichomes in a short period of time..
Stiff hairs or bristles are located on the edge of the leaves that interlock, preventing the insect from escaping when the trap is closed. The closing speed of the trap depends on the conditions of the plant, the size of the dam and the environment.
When the prey is very small, it manages to escape through the holes that remain between the peripheral hairs and the trap opens again in 12 hours. Otherwise, the movement of the insect stimulates the digestive process that starts quickly.
The small flowers -5-6 units- with five petals and white color develop from a flower spike 30 cm long. In crops, it is advisable to cut the spike, since it does not have ornamental value and tends to weaken the plant..
In the wild, flowering occurs during the months of May-June, at the beginning of spring. This is a self-pollinating species, which requires self-pollination to produce viable seeds..
The seeds -20-30 units- are round in shape, black in color and 1 mm in diameter. To reproduce by means of seed, its stratification is required at low temperatures for 3-4 weeks to activate the germination process..
The Venus flytrap is one of the few species that has the ability to make sudden movements to capture its prey. The leaf blades of the trap remain open and are activated in a specific way when an insect is detected.
The trap - fly catcher - is rapidly activated by a complex mechanism of interactions involving growth, turgor and elasticity. In resting or open position, the blades are convex, but when closed they take the shape of a cavity or concave.
When a stimulus occurs on the part of an insect on the sensitive trichomes, a variation of the action potential is generated. This variation involves calcium and hydrogen ions, exchange of fluids by osmosis and electrical discharges along the cell membrane that originate the movement..
As the prey is trapped between both lobes, the movements cause a greater dilation of the edges favoring their closure. In this way a kind of -stomach- is formed where a series of enzymes secreted by the glands of each lamina act.
The enzymatic activity on the victim acts as a digestive process involving oxidative proteins and quinones, such as plumbagin naphthoquinone. The oxidative modifications of these substances are capable of digesting the cell membranes of the insect.
Other enzymes, such as diaphorases and peptinases, intervene as predigestive oxidizers that accelerate proteolysis of the prey's cell wall. Digestion lasts approximately 10 days, the trap is opened and a chitin shell remains as waste from the prey.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- Order: Caryophyllales
- Family: Droseraceae
- Gender: Dionaea
- Species: Dionaea muscipula Sol. Ex J.Ellis (1768) No. 1172: [p. 4] 1768
- Dionaea corymbosa (Raf.) Steud. (1840)
- Dionaea crinita Sol. (1990) nom. superfl.
- D. dentata D'Amato (1998) nom. nud.
- D. heterodox D'Amato (1998) nude nom.
- Dionaea muscicapa A.St.-Hil. (1824) sphalm.typogr.
- Sensitive dionaea Salisb. (1796)
- D. sessiliflora (auct. non G.Don: Raf.) Steud. (1840)
- D. uniflora (auct. non Willd .: Raf.) Steud. (1840)
- Sundew corymbosa Raf. (1833)
- Sundew sessiliflora auct. non G. Don: Raf. (1833)
- D. uniflora auct. non Willd .: Raf. (1833)
The Venus flytrap is a species that lives in acidic and low fertility soils, with low levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. In fact, it is located on marshy terrain, swamps and wet grasslands with a high content of sand and peat..
It is a low-growing, slow-growing species that tolerates occasional fire in its wild environment. However, its permanence is subject to periodic burning to suppress other competing species for space and humidity..
Cultivated as an ornamental and exotic species in various parts of the world, its natural habitat is restricted to a specific area in the south of the US They are endemic to an area of 100 km around the town of Wilmington, between the states of North Carolina and South Carolina.
In its natural habitat it adapts to temperate and subtropical climates, with hot summers and mild, cool winters. In this regard, the plant requires to undergo a dormancy period during winter, otherwise it tends to weaken and die.
On the other hand, the low nutritional content of the soil is the reason for its evolutionary process to adapt its functionality as a carnivorous plant. In fact, insects are the nutritional source that they do not get from the soil to complete their metabolic processes..
The Venus Flytrap can multiply from seed, however it reaches full maturity after 3-5 years. Despite the fact that it is a species that traps insects, they are the ones who intervene in its self-pollination process..
The small flowers of the Dionaea yellowish-white in color, once fertilized, they generate a large quantity of seeds. These shiny black globular seeds mature 30-45 days after pollination..
The venus flytrap reproduces vegetatively from leaf suckers or rhizomes. Reproduction through vegetative structures is the most widely used reproduction method on a commercial level..
The suckers are generated from the base or stem of the plant, which are carefully separated to give life to a new plant. The rhizomes grow horizontally around the plant generating new colonies that can be separated individually..
Plants Dionaea They require constant humidity, which is why it is their main requirement for healthy and robust plants. The ideal substrate should be composed of a sandy, porous, well-draining peat bog free of mineral salts..
The crop needs an average temperature during the day between 22-30 ºC in the summer, with sudden changes in temperature at night. In fact, temperature ranges between 5-10 ºC during the night favor its development..
The venus flytrap requires a dormancy period during winter, being necessary to restrict watering, but provide light and ventilation. From this phase on, the frequency of irrigation must be activated, provide insects as food and maintain the lighting and aeration conditions.
The Venus flytrap is an insectivorous species that grows in waterlogged environments with high relative humidity and warm temperatures. However, as an ornamental plant its cultivation is relatively easy if constant natural conditions are maintained..
Soils or substrates with a high content of horticultural sand and peat moss that favor moisture retention are suitable. Likewise, low fertility media are required, mainly substrates poor in phosphorus and nitrogen..
The soil or substrate requires constant humidity, for which it is recommended to keep a tray with water under the pot. It is recommended to use fresh, distilled or rain water, avoiding tap water due to the presence of mineral salts that can damage the plant.
This species does not require the application of fertilizers. In fact, the nutritional elements it requires for its growth and development are extracted from digested insects..
The Dionaea It requires full sun exposure for its development, in case of growing indoors it is advisable to place it near a window. The higher incidence of solar radiation stimulates the production of pigments necessary to provide the shades -green, red- characteristic of the species.
In its natural environment, Dionaea It thrives in warm environments during the day and low temperatures at night. This species has a healthy growth during the summer at average temperatures above 32 ºC.
Plants grown in an ornamental way are easily acclimatized in environments with continuous temperature changes, being advisable to maintain temperatures above 30 ºC during the day and low temperatures at night, not lower than 5 ºC..
The incidence of pests and diseases is low if the plant is kept in adequate conditions of substrate, lighting and humidity. However, it is advisable to maintain proper management and constant supervision of their pathological state..
The herbaceous consistency of Dionaea muscipula makes it susceptible to being attacked by large insects or larval stages of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. In fact, its elimination is carried out through physical control methods, locating and eliminating the pest manually..
In addition, the incidence of minor pests such as aphids, mealybugs or aphids, sucking insects that weaken the plant by sucking the sap occurs. Its control is carried out through the application of contact insecticides and subsequent washing of the plant to avoid toxicity.
The main fungal pathogens that affect the Dionaea They are usually associated with excess humidity and ponding of the substrate. In fact, the best control is the elimination of the affected parts, aeration of the plant and regulate the frequency of irrigation..
As a general rule, to prevent the appearance of fungi, it is important to keep the plant free of withered and dry leaves. For this, it is advisable to carry out sanitation pruning and weed control, as well as regulate aeration and lighting..
On the other hand, the presence of viruses constitutes one of the most serious pathologies, which is manifested by the deformation of the leaves. However, its appearance is not common, since its incidence requires the elimination of the plant.
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