MYSTERIOUS VENUSFLYTRAP Article Abstract
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Published: March 28, 2008
Francis Bacon once said “There is no excellent beauty that has not some strangeness in the proportions”
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey. There are several stories of how the Venus flytrap got its name .It is said that the plant’s name refer to Venus (the daughter of Dione), the Roman mythical goddess of love and beauty. In 1770,in LONDON merchant and botanist John Ellis published the first description of a new sensitive plant, Dionaea muscipula or Venus flytrap. Because the traps of a Flytrap resemble clamshells, and they are found growing along the coastal range of North Carolina, people in this region thought it is cute to name it Venus flytrap.
This is one of a very small group of plants that are capable of rapid movement .As adult plants, Venus flytrap grow to 6 inches in diameter with traps measuring up to 1.5 inches at the most. Spikes protruding from the edges of the leaves form a narrow cage for the insects. The terminal portion of each of the plant’s leaves forms the trapping structure. The leaves swell to close the gap and secrete a fluid that digests the insects in about 10 days. Then the leaves grow a little and opens up, ready for next visitor.
The leaves of the Venus fly trap open wide and on them are short, stiff hairs called triggers or sensitive hairs. When anything touches these hairs enough to bend them, the two lobes of the leaves snap shut trapping whatever is inside. The trap will shut in less than even 1 second. The trap stays open for a few second for the smaller insects to escape, as they wouldn’t be able to provide sufficient food. If the object weren’t food like a stone or nut then the trap would open within 12 hours and “spilt” it. The mechanism of closing has fascinated many biologists over the years.
How can an inanimate plant react so quickly to the stimulus of touch?
Ø The most widely accepted explanation had been that a rapid change in the turgidity of the cells occurs.
There are several verities of the Venus flytrap. A very common variety that is found in many nurseries is the Dente flytrap, which has shorter and more pronounced teeth. A variety that is gradually becoming available is the Red Dragon flytrap, which turns completely red when grown in full sun.
Other important verities:
Royal red
Red pirhana
Paradise
Giant
Sawtooth
Big mouth
Although Genetics platy a role, the growth of large traps is heavily dependent on the optimum growing conditions.
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