Greetings and welcome, seeker of knowledge!
Here you may learn about the ecology, cultivation, conservation, and taxonomy of
carnivorous plants. Unless explicitly indicated, I am the author of all text in the FAQ, and am responsible for
its accuracy and content.
If you seek stock photography of carnivorous plants, refer to my exciting
Galleria Carnivora.
Enjoy!
Barry Rice
Recent additions to the FAQ
The book!
Dionaea muscipula
Sarracenia flava
Drosera peltata
Nepenthes
gymnamphora
Pinguicula
macroceras
Sarracenia minor
The Book and the Blog!
I have written a book on carnivorous plants!
Oh yes, "Growing Carnivorous Plants" is an excellent book, and surely something you need!
Oh yes indeed!
More on the book, and also on my lecture schedule!
Meanwhile, I've recently been asked to start a blog. Why? Probably because I was the slowest-running scientist in the
pack at the time. My blog focuses on conservation, and is mostly on invasive species stuff, but if you are
curious, take a look at what's on my bloggy mind.
- Carnivorous plants 101 (FAQ-pages selected for beginners...)
- What is a "carnivorous plant?"
- Sure fire, easy instructions on growing Venus flytraps
- Should I transplant my Venus flytrap out of the mini-terrarium it came in?
- How often should I feed my Venus flytrap?
- Why isn't my Venus flytrap growing well?
- Should I let my Venus flytrap flower?
- How do I grow carnivorous plants?
- About light.
- Why doesn't my sundew have "dew" on its leaves?
- About water.
- General Questions
- Introduction: General Questions on Carnivorous Plants
- How do I use the FAQ to get my answers? (10/2007)
- "Pictures! Show me pictures!"
- What is a "carnivorous plant?"
(11/2008) - What do you mean by "adaptations to capture prey?" (attribute #1)
(11/2008) - What do you mean by "digestive mechanisms?" (attribute #2) (11/2008)
- What do you mean by "absorption pathways?" (attribute #3) (11/2008)
- What makes carnivorous plants different from other plants? (11/2008)
- Are carnivorous plants autotrophic or heterotrophic?
- How many carnivorous plants exist?
- What is the biggest, most amazing carnivorous plant? (9/2008)
- Should we be afraid of carnivorous plants?
- What do carnivorous plants eat?
- What nutrients are carnivorous plants looking for? (6/2009)
- How do carnivorous plants digest their prey?
- What digestive acids do they make, and are they dangerous? (12/2007)
- Do you have any suggestions for my science project?
- How can plants move? Are they really animals?
- Exactly how do these plants capture prey? Answer #1--pitfall traps (5/2009)
- Exactly how do these plants capture prey? Answer #2--sticky traps (12/2008)
- Exactly how do these plants capture prey? Answer #3--lobster pot traps (5/2009)
- Exactly how do these plants capture prey? Answer #4--suction traps (12/2008)
- Exactly how do these plants capture prey? Answer #5--snap traps (12/2008)
- Sleazy cheapy Drosera animation!
- Sleazy cheapy Utricularia animation!
- Sleazy cheapy Drosophyllum animation!
- Sleazy cheapy Dionaea animation!
- More sleazy cheapy Dionaea animation!
- What movies (etc.) have references to carnivorous plants? (5/2009)
- Why do you use weird Latin plant names in the FAQ?
- What are the best books on carnivorous plants? (9/2007)
- Are there carnivorous plant societies I can join?
- What is the life cycle for carnivorous plants?
- How do carnivorous plants reproduce?
- What gifts can I buy for a carnivorous plant grower?
- Should I buy carnivorous plants from eBay?
- Do carnivorous plants have pharmacological (medicinal) properties?
- Do carnivorous plants have ethnobotanical uses?
- Will carnivorous plants control my bug populations? (8/2008)
- Are there any vegetarian carnivorous plants? (6/2009)
- Tell me about animals that live inside carnivorous plants!
- Ending Comments: General Questions on Carnivorous Plants
Utricularia habitat,
Arizona
Pinguicula habitat,
Oregon
Darlingtonia habitat,
California
Sarracenia habitat,
Louisiana
Drosera habitat,
New Zealand
- Where are carnivorous plants?
- Where is this? Where is that?
- Where are good botanical gardens with carnivorous plants? (1/2007)
- Where can I see wild carnivorous plants? (1/2007)
- Where can I see the really rare Sarracenia species?
- How did Carolina Bays form? (5/2005)
- USA/Canada Information
- Where do pitcher plants (Darlingtonia and Sarracenia) live?
- Where do Venus flytraps (Dionaea) live? (9/2008)
- Where do sundews (Drosera) live?
- Where do butterworts (Pinguicula) live?
- Where do bladderworts (Utricularia) live? (8/2007)
- Global information
- Where do carnivorous plants live in various parts of the world? (5/2009)
- What are the centers of diversity for each genus of carnivorous plants? (in development)
- Field Trip Reports
- Field trip report: Virginia and New Jersey in 2002 & 2008 (11/2008)
- Field trip report: Southern Florida in 2003
- Field trip report: Okefenokee Swamp & south Georgia in 2003
- Field trip report: California (Sierra Nevada) in 2003
- Field trip report: North Carolina (The Green Swamp and mountains) in 2003
- Field trip report: Ontario in 2003
- Field trip report: New England in 2004 (11/2004)
- Field trip report: Mississippi/Louisiana in 2005 (5/2005)
- Field trip report: Appalachian Mountains in 2005 (8/2005)
- Field trip report: Eastern Texas in 2006 (6/2006)
- Field trip report: Darlingtonia pollination studies in 2006 (8/2006)
- Field trip report: Idaho fen-hopping in 2006 (9/2006)
- Field trip report: eastern Oregon in 2006 (11/2006)
- Field trip report: western Montana in 2006 (1/2008)
- Field trip report: Massachusetts/Vermont in 2006 (2/2008)
- Field trip report: Returning to the Carolina low country in 2007 (2/2008)
- Field trip report: Returning to the Carolina high country in 2007 (2/2008)
- Field trip report: New South Wales, Australia in 2007 (10/2007)
- Field trip reports: Western Australia in 2007 (11/2007; 12/2007)
- Field trip report: Florida panhandle in 2008 (4/2008)
- Ending Comments: Where? Where?
Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea muscipula
- Venus flytraps
- Introduction: Venus flytraps
- Tell me about Venus flytraps!
- Where do I get Venus flytraps?
- Where do Venus flytraps come from? (1/2007)
- Can I collect Venus flytraps from the wild?
- How many kinds of Venus flytraps are there? (7/2006)
- Basic cultivation
- Sure fire, easy instructions on growing Venus flytraps
- Should I transplant my Venus flytrap out of the mini-terrarium it came in?
- Should I transplant my Venus flytrap for other reasons?
- How big will my Venus flytrap get?
- Why are my plant's leaves long and skinny?
- Why is my plant growing so fast, or producing a clump of a million leaves? (1/2007)
- Why isn't my Venus flytrap red like in the photos?
- Why isn't my Venus flytrap growing well? (4/2006)
- How do I take care of my sick plant?
- Should I trim off dead or dying leaves?
- What should I do about white fuzzy mold? (12/2007)
- My Venus flytrap is dying! What am I doing wrong?
- I goofed by using bad soil or water. What should I do now? (1/2007)
- Winter dormancy? Huh? What? (8/2007)
- Dormancy tricks that may work
- Is my plant dormant or dead?
- Should a plant bought in winter be forced into dormancy?
- Feeding your pet
- What should I feed my Venus flytrap? Hamburger meat?
- Exactly how do I feed my Venus flytrap?
- How do I get rid of dead bug skeletons in my Venus flytrap?
- It is winter---where do I get bugs for my Venus flytrap?
- How often should I feed my Venus flytrap?
- It is possible to overfeed a Venus flytrap?
- Why do the leaves on my Venus flytrap snap shut slowly, or not at all?
- Why did my Venus flytrap's leaf get a black spot after I fed it?
- Why are my Venus flytrap's traps turning black?
- Advanced cultivation
- Should I let my Venus flytrap flower?
- My Venus flytrap is flowering! What do I do?
- How do I sexually propagate my Venus flytrap? (1/2007)
- Why is my plant making a flower stalk with baby plants on it? (1/2007)
- How do I vegetatively propagate my Venus flytrap? (1/2007)
- How do I care for my tiny seedling flytrap?
- Are Venus flytraps a danger to my pets?
- Why does my plant have two traps on a single leaf? (7/2006)
- How flytraps hunt
- How does a Venus flytrap sense prey?
- Exactly how does a Venus flytrap's leaves close so fast? (10/2004)
- Can Venus flytraps digest human flesh?
- A bit of science
- Do you have any suggestions for my science experiment?
- I need some fast answers on Venus flytraps for my science report...
- How did the Venus flytrap get its name? (1/2007)
- Ending Comments: General Questions on Venus flytraps
Nepenthes
'Peter D'Amato'
Pinguicula laueana
Drosophyllum
lusitanicum
Dionaea leaf pullings
Sphagnum soils
Pot fire
Plant food
Pinguicula 'Titan'
Leaf litter
- Growing carnivorous plants
- For beginners...
- Introduction: Growing Carnivorous Plants
- How do I grow carnivorous plants?
- About light
- How do I replant my new carnivorous plant? (8/2008)
- What can I grow on my windowsill?
- Do I need a terrarium?
- What can I easily grow in a terrarium?
- Will a bottle terrarium work?
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) (in development)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a sundew (Drosera sp.) (in development)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a North American pitcher plant (Sarracenia sp.) (in development)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes sp.) (1/2007)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a butterwort (Pinguicula sp.) (in development)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a cobra lily (Darlingtonia californica) (in development)
- How often should I feed my plant?
- What do I do if I cannot find bugs?
- Why doesn't my sundew have "dew" on its leaves?
- Should I put water in my pitcher plant leaves? (6/2004)
- Can I grow those huge pitcher vines I saw in a greenhouse?
- More advanced topics...
- My plant is flowering! What do I do?
- How do I stimulate seeds to germinate?
- What kind of pot should I use?
- What is slack-potting? (9/2007)
- About peat (10/2007)
- About Sphagnum
- About "green moss," "sheet moss," and "horticultural moss"
- About sedge peat and leaf litter (9/2007)
- About coco peat
- About sand
- About coral sand and calcium carbonate (in development)
- About perlite, pumice, and gravel
- About vermiculite
- About kitty litter (yes, kitty litter) (in development)
- About inorganic mixes
- About charcoal, bark, and other exotics
- About Trichoderma (in development)
- About designing planting mixes
- About water
- About making purified water
- About buying purified water
- About terrarium bubblers (9/2007)
- About light intensity (1/2007)
- About light quality (1/2007)
- About humidity
- About dormancy requirements
- About temperature
- About fertilizer and hamburger meat
- About gibberellic acid (in development)
- About SUPERthrive
- What is this bug eating my carnivorous plants?
- Should I kill these little bugs on my plant?
- What pesticides or other bug-killing methods work? (1/2009)
- How do I kill bug XXX?
- Are mosquitoes in my trays a problem? (4/2008)
- What do I do about squirrels, cats, deer, etc?
- How do I propagate my plants by sexual reproduction?
- How do I propagate my plants by asexual reproduction?
- Does hydroponics work well for carnivorous plants?
- Where can I buy carnivorous plants?
- People trade them? How do I get in on the action?
- Can I grow carnivorous plants in my garden?
- What is tissue culture?
- What is Silicosis or Sporotrichosis? (1/2009)
- What are cultivars?
- What are cultivar-groups?
- What is a grex? (1/2007)
- How do I make my plant a cultivar? (1/2009)
- Are there any variegated carnivorous plants?
- What are ICPS "Location Codes"?
- What are Location Coded sites like?
- Ending Comments: Growing Carnivorous Plants
- Carnivorous plants and conservation
- Introduction: Carnivorous Plants and Conservation
- Why do most carnivorous plants live in wetlands?
- Why are these wetlands nutrient poor?
- How can carnivorous plant habitat be destroyed?
- Pond, bog, swamp, marsh, fen---what are the differences?(3/2007)
- How are carnivorous plants doing in the wild?
- Are wildfires good for habitat?
- What are invasive species, and why are they bad?
- Where can I see wild carnivorous plants?
- May I collect carnivorous plants from the wild? (1/2009)
- Why can't I collect plants if the land they live on is being destroyed anyway?
- What about field collecting Endangered Sarracenia?
- What about field collecting endangered Sarracenia?
- What are the restrictions from the Endangered Species Act?
- What are ICPS Location Codes and how do they relate to conservation?
- What is CITES? (1/2009)
- What carnivorous plants are covered by CITES?
- What are the really rare carnivorous plants? (1/2007)
- Should I plant carnivorous plants in habitats they don't live in already?
- Is it OK to plant carnivorous plants along roadsides?
- Are any carnivorous plants "noxious"?
- I saw pitchers in a flower arrangement. Is this bad?
- Where do plants being sold in stores come from?
- What is all this about "anthocyanin-free plants"?
- What is this controversy I hear about Sphagnum and peat bogs?
- How can I help save carnivorous plants from extinction?
- What is the Nepenthes clipeata Survival Program?
- Ending Comments: Carnivorous Plants and Conservation
Aldrovanda
Brocchinia
Byblis
Catopsis
Cephalotus
Darlingtonia
Dionaea
Drosera
Drosophyllum
Genlisea
Heliamphora
Nepenthes
Pinguicula
Roridula
Sarracenia
Utricularia
Utricularia
Amorphophallus
Arisaema
Aristolochia
Huernia
Monotropa
Stapelia
Sphagnum
- Kinds of carnivorous plants
- Introduction: carnivorous plant genera
- These Latin names are pretty nerdy. Why don't you use common names?
- So why do Latin names have two parts?
- What do you mean by complex names like Drosera binata var. multifida f. extrema?
- How do you pronounce the Latin names?
- How did carnivorous plants evolve? (8/2008)
- What are the kingdom, phylum, and class designations for carnivorous plants? (3/2007)
- How many species are in each carnivorous plant genus? (5/2009)
- Do you want to tell me about a species I missed? (10/2007)
- Aldrovanda
- I: The waterwheel plant (8/2007)
- II: Prey capture in detail (8/2007)
- III: Various types (8/2007)
- IV: Cultivation (82007)
- V: Range and conservation status (8/2007)
- Brocchinia
- I: The nicky dicky plant (8/2007)
- II: Various types (8/2007)
- III: Cultivation (8/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (1/2007)
- Byblis
- I: The rainbow plants (9/2008)
- II: Species (4/2008)
- III: Cultivation (1/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (9/2008)
- Catopsis
- I: lampera de la selva (jungle lantern) (1/2007)
- II: Various types (1/2007)
- III: Cultivation (1/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (8/2008)
- Cephalotus
- I: The Albany pitcher plant (1/2007)
- II: Various types (1/2007)
- III: Cultivation (1/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (1/2007)
- Darlingtonia
- I: The cobra lily (1/2007)
- II: Various types (1/2007)
- III: Cultivation (1/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (1/2007)
- Dionaea
- I: The Venus flytrap (2/2007)
- II: Various types (1/2007)
- III: Cultivation (1/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (1/2007)
- Drosera
- I: Introduction to the sundews (2/2007)
- II: African and Madagascan species (8/2008)
- III: Latin Americans (2/2007)
- IV: Pygmies (12/2007)
- V: The "petiolaris-complex" (2/2007)
- VI: Tuberous rosetted species (12/2008)
- VII: Tuberous fan-leaved species (12/2007)
- VIII: Tuberous erect & scrambling species (12/2007)
- IX: North Americans (2/2007)
- X: Any other Drosera species (2/2007)
- XII: The big Drosera checklist! (12/2008)
- Drosophyllum
- I: Pinheiro baboso, the Portuguese slobbering pine (3/2007)
- II: Various types (3/2007)
- III: Cultivation (3/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (3/2007)
- Genlisea
- I: The corkscrew plants (3/2007)
- II: New World species (8/2008)
- III: Old World species (8/2008)
- IV: Cultivation (3/2007)
- Heliamphora
- I: The marsh (or sun) pitchers (3/2007)
- II: Species from the western ranges (1/2009)
- III: Species from the eastern ranges (1/2009)
- IV: Cultivation (3/2007)
- V: Conservation issues (3/2007)
- Nepenthes
- I: The tropical pitcher plants (5/2007)
- II: Species of Borneo (5/2007)
- III: Species of Sumatra (5/2009)
- IV: Species of Peninsular Malaysia (5/2007)
- V: Species of the Philippines (3/2009)
- VI: Species of Sulawesi, Waigeo, and New Guinea (5/2007)
- VII: Species from other parts of the world (5/2009)
- VIII: hybrids (in development)
- IX: The big Nepenthes checklist! (5/2009)
- X: Basic cultivation (5/2007)
- XI: Advanced cultivation (5/2007)
- XII: Conservation issues (5/2007)
- Pinguicula
- I: The butterworts (8/2008)
- II: Species of Mexico and Central America (8/2008)
- III: Other species of Latin America (9/2008)
- IV: Species of the USA and Canada (6/2009)
- V: Temperate and Arctic species (6/2007)
- VI: Leftover European and Asian species (8/2008)
- VII: Latin American hybrids (6/2007)
- VIII: The big Pinguicula checklist! (6/2009)
- IX: Cultivation (6/2007)
- X: Conservation issues (6/2007)
- Polypompholyx
- The fairy aprons (7/2007)
- Roridula
- I: The vlieëbos (1/2009)
- II: Species (6/2007)
- III: Cultivation (6/2007)
- IV: Range and conservation status (6/2007)
- I: The vlieëbos
- Sarracenia
- I: Introducing the North American pitcher plants (6/2007)
- II: What are Hooker zones? (6/2007)
- III: Sarracenia species lists (9/2008)
- IV: Sarracenia alabamensis (9/2008)
- V: Sarracenia alata (11/2008)
- VI: Sarracenia flava (6/2007)
- VII: Sarracenia jonesii (6/2007)
- VIII: Sarracenia leucophylla (11/2008)
- IX: Sarracenia minor (6/2007)
- X: Sarracenia oreophila (6/2007)
- XI: Sarracenia psittacina (6/2007)
- XII: Sarracenia purpurea (10/2007)
- XIII: Sarracenia rosea (9/2008)
- XIV: Sarracenia rubra (9/2008)
- XV: Sarracenia hybrids (12/2008)
- XVI: About some Sarracenia cultivars (7/2007)
- XVII: Cultivation (9/2008)
- XVIII: Conservation status (9/2008)
- Triphyophyllum
- I: The tome, goe-doo, or ma bele (9/2008)
- II: Cultivation (7/2007)
- III: Range and conservation status (7/2007)
- Utricularia
- I: The bladderworts (6/2009)
- II: Terrestrial species (7/2007)
- III: Suspended aquatic species (7/2007)
- IV: Affixed aquatic species (7/2007)
- V: Epiphytic & emergent species (7/2007)
- VI: Lithophytic species (7/2007)
- VII: Rheophytic species (7/2007)
- VIII: Conservation (7/2007)
- Subgenus Polypompholyx
- IX: Section Polypompholyx (6/2009)
- X: Section Tridentaria (7/2007)
- XI: Section Pleiochasia (7/2007)
- Subgenus Bivalvaria
- XII: Section Aranella (5/2009)
- XIII: Section Australes (7/2007)
- XVI: Section Avesicarioides (7/2007)
- XV: Section Benjaminia (7/2007)
- XVI: Section Calpidisca (7/2007)
- XVII: Section Enskide (7/2007)
- XVIII: Section Lloydia (7/2007)
- XIX: Section Minutae (4/2008)
- XX: Section Oligocista (7/2007)
- XXI: Section Nigrescentes (7/2007)
- XXII: Section Phyllaria (7/2007)
- XXIII: Section Stomoisia (7/2007)
- Subgenus Utricularia
- XXIV: Section Avesicaria (7/2007)
- XXV: Section Candollea (7/2007)
- XXVI: Section Chelidon (7/2007)
- XXVII: Section Choristothecae (7/2007)
- XXVIII: Section Foliosa (7/2007)
- XXIX: Section Kamienskia (4/2008)
- XXX: Section Lecticula (7/2007)
- XXXI: Section Martinia (7/2007)
- XXXII: Section Meionula (1/2009)
- XXXIII: Section Mirabiles (8/2007)
- XXXIV: Section Nelipus (8/2007)
- XXXV: Section Oliveria (8/2007)
- XXVI: Section Orchidioides (3/2008)
- XXXVII: Section Setiscapella (8/2007)
- XXXVIII: Section Sprucea (8/2007)
- XXXIX: Section Steyermarkia (5/2009)
- XXXX: Section Stylotheca (8/2007)
- XXXXI: Section Utricularia (8/2007)
- XXXXII: Section Vesiculina (8/2007)
- XXXXIII: The big Utricularia checklist! (4/2008)
- I: The bladderworts
- Quasi-carnivorous species...
- Capsella (shepherd's purse)
- Dipsacus (teasel) (7/2006)
- Hepatics (liverworts)
- Ibicella and Proboscidea (devil's claw) (4/2008)
- Paepalanthus
- Passiflora (Passion Flower)
- Stylidium (Triggerplants) (12/2006)
- Carnivorous fungi (Arthrobotrys conoides, etc.)
- Noncarnivorous plants I am asked about...
- Arisaema (Jack-in-the-pulpits)
- Aristolochia ("dutchman's pipe", "birthwort")
- Mimosa ("sensitive plants")
- Paphiopedilum ("slipper orchids")
- Rafflesia (That big huge flower-thing)
- Amorphophallus (the corpse flower), Sauromatum, and other stinky aroids
- Stapelia, etc. (stinky asclepiads)
- Ant plants (Dischidia, Myrmecodia, etc.)
- "Carnivorous" orchids (Aracamunia, etc.) (7/2004)
- Parasitic plants
- Mycotrophic (saprophytic) plants
- Ending Comments: Carnivorous Plant Genera
Plant sale
Yummy
Trail to habitat...
- More resources
- Introduction: Links to Other Resources
- What is in the FAQ Library? (2/2006)
- What is the CP Discussion Group?
- What discussion forum do you recommend? (2/2006)
- Where is the ICPS homepage?
- What are the other carnivorous plant societies? (1/2009)
- What is the CP database?
- What is the ICPS carnivorous plant Web Ring?
- Could you link your page to mine?
- Barry's CP home page area
- Will you answer my e-mails?
- The e-mail photo gallery (1/2009)
- Where are related links? (6/2004)
- Where are carnivorous plant nurseries? (1/2009)
- Ending Comments: Links
- Et Cetera
- Parental advisory
- Notes to reporters and authors
- Notes to webmasters, students, lecturers
- Site awards
- About me
- FAQ References
Finally, a big thanks to Emilie G. Pulver for her tireless readings and editorial corrections to this FAQ!
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