Carnivorous plants of North America

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Sarracenia purpurea, a low-growing pitcher plant species native to North America Flickr - ggallice - Pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, Cranberry Glades, Round Glade.jpg
Sarracenia purpurea , a low-growing pitcher plant species native to North America

The North American continent is home to a wide variety of carnivorous plant species. Species from seven genera are native to the continent, and three of these genera are found nowhere else on the planet.

Fly trapped by Dionaea muscipula Dionaea, fly. 1.jpg
Fly trapped by Dionaea muscipula
Limonia fly trapped by Drosera filiformis Drosera. Limonia.jpg
Limonia fly trapped by Drosera filiformis
Collembola (Dicyrtomina minuta) trapped inside a leaf of Sarracenia purpurea Sarracenia. Dicyrtomina.2.jpg
Collembola ( Dicyrtomina minuta ) trapped inside a leaf of Sarracenia purpurea
Pinguicula caerulea Pinguicula caerulea (5296581164).jpg
Pinguicula caerulea
Utricularia juncea Utricularia juncea.jpg
Utricularia juncea

Genera and species

Catopsis
Darlingtonia
Dionaea
Drosera
Sarracenia
Pinguicula
Utricularia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitcher plant</span> Carnivorous plant

Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants that have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher plants are formed by specialized leaves. The plants attract and drown their prey with nectar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarraceniaceae</span> Family of carnivorous plants

Sarraceniaceae are a family of pitcher plants, belonging to order Ericales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droseraceae</span> Family of carnivorous flowering plants

Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera. Representatives of the Droseraceae are found on all continents except Antarctica.

<i>Utricularia</i> Genus of carnivorous plants

Utricularia, commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species. They occur in fresh water and wet soil as terrestrial or aquatic species across every continent except Antarctica. Utricularia are cultivated for their flowers, which are often compared with those of snapdragons and orchids, especially amongst carnivorous plant enthusiasts.

<i>Sarracenia</i> Genus of carnivorous plants

Sarracenia is a genus comprising 8 to 11 species of North American pitcher plants, commonly called trumpet pitchers. The genus belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which also contain the closely allied genera Darlingtonia and Heliamphora.

<i>Darlingtonia californica</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Darlingtonia californica, also called the California pitcher plant, cobra lily, or cobra plant, is a species of carnivorous plant. It is the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. This pitcher plant is native to Northern California and Oregon, US, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water usually on serpentine soils. This plant is designated as uncommon due to its rarity in the field.

<i>Drosera capillaris</i> Species of carnivorous plant native to subtropical to tropical North and South America

Drosera capillaris, also known as the pink sundew, is a species of carnivorous plant belonging to the family Droseraceae. It is native to the southern United States, the Greater Antilles, western and southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is listed as vulnerable in the US state of Virginia, and critically imperiled in Arkansas, Maryland, and Tennessee.

A calcifuge is a plant that does not tolerate alkaline (basic) soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to flee from chalk'. These plants are also described as ericaceous, as the prototypical calcifuge is the genus Erica (heaths). It is not the presence of carbonate or hydroxide ions per se that these plants cannot tolerate, but the fact that under alkaline conditions, iron becomes less soluble. Consequently, calcifuges grown on alkaline soils often develop the symptoms of iron deficiency, i.e. interveinal chlorosis of new growth. There are many horticultural plants which are calcifuges, most of which require an 'ericaceous' compost with a low pH, composed principally of Sphagnum moss peat. Alternatively sulphur chips may be used to lower soil pH.

<i>Sarracenia purpurea</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Sarracenia purpurea, the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant, turtle socks, or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae.

<i>Aldrovanda</i> Genus of carnivorous plants

Aldrovanda is a genus of carnivorous plants encompassing one extant species and numerous extinct taxa. The genus is named in honor of the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi, the founder of the Botanical Garden of Bologna, Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bologna. Aldrovanda vesiculosa has been reported from scattered locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

<i>Carnivorous Plant Newsletter</i> Academic journal

The Carnivorous Plant Newsletter is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bog garden</span>

A bog garden is a type of garden that employs permanently moist soil to create a habitat for plants and creatures which thrive in such conditions. It may exploit existing poor drainage in the garden, or it may be artificially created using pond liners or other materials to trap water in the area. Any such structure must allow a small amount of seepage to prevent the water stagnating. For instance, a pond liner must be pierced a few times. Typically a bog garden consists of a shallow area adjoining a pond or other water feature, but care must be taken to prevent water draining from a higher to a lower level. The minimum sustainable depth is 40–45 cm (16–18 in). Good drainage is provided by gravel placed over the liner, and the bog can be kept watered by using a perforated hose below the surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protocarnivorous plant</span> Carnivorous plant that can not digest prey

A protocarnivorous plant, according to some definitions, traps and kills insects or other animals but lacks the ability to either directly digest or absorb nutrients from its prey like a carnivorous plant. The morphological adaptations such as sticky trichomes or pitfall traps of protocarnivorous plants parallel the trap structures of confirmed carnivorous plants.

Barry Rice is an American botanist, professional carnivorous plant grower and the author of the book Growing Carnivorous Plants. Barry Rice maintains the website Sarracenia.com and has a detailed FAQ on many carnivorous plant topics. He is co-editor of the International Carnivorous Plant Society's journal, the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. He also works as an invasive species specialist under the Global Invasive species Team. Currently, he is focusing his research on Utricularia and its distribution in the western states. Another project that he also works on is the pollination of Darlingtonia californica.

<i>Pameridea</i> Genus of true bugs

Pameridea is a genus of insects comprising two species, P. roridulae and P. marlothii, that live in symbiotic relationships with carnivorous plants in the genus Roridula. Pameridea marlothii only occurs on R. dentata, while P. roridulae exists on both R. dentata and R. gorgonias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnivorous plant</span> Plants that consume animals

Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They still generate all of their energy from photosynthesis. They have adapted to grow in waterlogged sunny places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs. They can be found on all continents except Antarctica, as well as many Pacific islands. In 1875, Charles Darwin published Insectivorous Plants, the first treatise to recognize the significance of carnivory in plants, describing years of painstaking research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sifton Bog</span>

The Sifton Bog Environmentally Significant Area is a wetland jointly administered by the city of London, Ontario and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It is located west of Hyde Park Road and south of Oxford Street inside the city limits of London, Southern Ontario, Canada. It is a Class 2 provincially significant wetland.

<i>Planta Carnivora</i> Academic journal

Planta Carnivora is a biannual periodical and the official publication of The Carnivorous Plant Society of the United Kingdom. Typical articles include matters of horticultural interest, field reports, and news of plant discoveries. The journal was established in 1980 and was called The Carnivorous Plant Society Journal until 2009; the following year it was combined with the society's newsletter to form Planta Carnivora. Issues are published in spring and autumn.

<i>Bulletin of the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society</i>

The Bulletin of the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society was a quarterly periodical and the official publication of the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society. Established in April 1982 as Bulletin / South Australian Carnivorous Plant Society, it continued publication until 2003. In a special general meeting of society members, in September 2004, it was decided the bulletin would cease publication. Typical articles included matters of horticultural interest, field reports, literature reviews, and scientific studies. The headquarters was in Adelaide.

References

  1. "North American Carnivorous Plant Fact Sheet" (PDF). 5 December 2004. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  2. "The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: What carnivorous plants live in Mexico?". sarracenia.com. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  3. "The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: North American Drosera". sarracenia.com. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  4. Taylor, Peter (1991). "Utricularia in North America north of Mexico" (PDF). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. 20 (1–2): 8–14. doi:10.55360/cpn201-2.pt733 . Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. Taylor, Peter (1991). "Notes on distribution of North American Utricularia" (PDF). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. 20 (1–2): 14–20. doi:10.55360/cpn201-2.pt927 . Retrieved 16 December 2015.