Venus Flytrap

Dionaea muscipula

The Venus Flytrap is a fascinating plant that catches insects for its meals. It has special leaves that snap shut when bugs land on them. This plant is like a sneaky hunter in the garden!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Venus Flytrap has a rosette of small, flat leaves ending in iconic, hinged lobes that form a trap. Each trap is fringed with stiff, bristle-like 'teeth' and can be vibrant green on the outside, often with striking crimson or reddish interiors. Three to six tiny trigger hairs are visible on the inner surface of each lobe, making it visually distinct from non-carnivorous plants.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderCaryophyllalesFamilyDroseraceaeGenusDionaea

Photo: Len WorthingtonCC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsView original ↗

Venus Flytrap

Interesting facts

It must count at least two touches on its triggers before snapping shut to save energy!

Its snapping traps can close in less than a second, faster than your eye can blink!

The bright red color inside its trap acts like a delicious sign for unsuspecting insects!

These plants are native to a tiny wetland area in North and South Carolina only!

Special abilities

Venus Flytrap can quickly snap its specialized leaves shut in under a second to capture unsuspecting insects.

Venus Flytrap has trigger hairs that count touches, ensuring the trap only closes for live prey and saves energy.

Venus Flytrap can produce digestive enzymes that break down captured insects, absorbing essential nutrients from them.

Measurements & details

Height: 5-30 cm
Spread: 10-20 cm
Flower Size: 0.5-1 cm
Bloom Season: Spring
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

Hunts

Silky Ant

Formica pallidefulva

Common prey item for Venus Flytraps

Pollinates

Margined Calligrapher

Toxomerus marginatus

A type of hoverfly that pollinates the plant's flowers

Depends on

Red Bog Sphagnum Moss

Sphagnum capillifolium

Thrives in the acidic, nutrient-poor conditions created by the moss

Traits

Deciduous

Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Carnivorous Plant

Carnivorous plants are predatory flowering plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

Also known as

Flytrap

Collections

Fungi Plants

Safety

Danger

1/5 · Very low

Venus Flytraps are safe to touch, but don't try to make them close their traps with your fingers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Venus Flytrap?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How tall is Venus Flytrap?

5-30 cm

How wide does Venus Flytrap spread?

10-20 cm

How big are the flowers on Venus Flytrap?

0.5-1 cm

When does Venus Flytrap bloom?

Spring

Is Venus Flytrap edible?

Is Venus Flytrap toxic?

None

What is Venus Flytrap's lifecycle?