5 Amazing Types of Trapping Mechanisms Carnivorous Plants Use to Survive

While all carnivorous plants use the attract, lure and trap method, knowing their trapping mechanisms and the kinds of plants that use such mechanism will help you determine which plant is best for your garden. The information below will be based on the types of plants and which plant use specific mechanisms.

Flypaper trapping mechanism

The use of natural sticky or glue-like trap is common to butterworts and sundews plants. Carnivorous plants that use this kind of trapping mechanism can trap smaller insects like flies, fungus gnats and the like. These plants secrete the very sticky glue through their mucilage glands (sometimes are very short like that of the butterworts and sometimes longer glands like that of the sundews) then trap any smaller insects for them to feed.

Pitfall trap

Popular to these types of traps in carnivorous plants are the pitcher plants. The plants pitchers can trap both smaller and bigger organisms (as big as rats and rodents). This passive carnivorous plant actually traps its preys when these preys slipped through the plants opening down to its chamber. The pitcher plant’s chamber is filled with acid enzymes for digestion purposes.

Snap trap mechanism

Venus flytrap and the waterwheel carnivorous plant are two best examples of this trapping mechanism. These plants, when triggered by the presence of small insects on to their clamp-like leaves, close in a fraction of a second and trap its prey for digestion. Contrary to the other types of traps in carnivorous plants, snap trap is an abrupt response on the part of the plant to trap its prey and keep that prey for days until it’s fully digested.

Lobster Pot trap

Common to aquatic carnivorous plants, lobster pot trapping mechanism allows a prey to easily enter into the plants’ system ie leaf but its exit is very difficult. These plants have roots and leaves that are pointed to a certain direction, allowing their preys trapped easily. Usually, corkscrew plants and the genlisea kinds are using this method.

Borderline Carnivores

The borderline carnivores have almost the same trapping mechanisms like the carnivorous plants but are just benefiting for absorbing the nutrients from the trapped insects but not literally eating these trapped preys. Some of the plants that use such mechanism are the catopsis barteroniana, roridula and Ibicella lutea.

You can easily identify the kind of carnivorous plants according to the types of traps in carnivorous plants. Since there were 5 types of trapping mechanism, each type say clearly about the type of plant you have in your garden.