Carnivorous plants catch and digest insects and other small animals. More than 800 species from about a dozen families are known today, from the famous Venus flytrap to sundews growing in Ukrainian bogs. Below are the names and pictures of carnivorous plants, the main trap types and the easiest ones to grow at home.
They grow in bogs, sands, on rocks and in water — places where the soil is very poor in nitrogen and phosphorus. Their leaves have evolved into traps to make up for it. Insects are a supplement rather than their main food: like all green plants, they get energy from photosynthesis, so they can survive without prey but grow more slowly.
| Name | Trap type | Native to | For the home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) | Snap trap | North and South Carolina, USA | Medium: needs winter dormancy |
| Sundew (Drosera) | Sticky hairs | Every continent except Antarctica | Easy (Cape sundew) |
| Tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes) | Pitcher | South-East Asia | Medium: warmth and humidity |
| Trumpet pitcher (Sarracenia) | Tubular pitcher | North America | Easy: balcony, bog garden |
| Butterwort (Pinguicula) | Sticky leaves | Europe, the Americas, Asia | Easy (Mexican species) |
| Bladderwort (Utricularia) | Suction bladders | Every continent except Antarctica | Aquarium, mini bog |
| Cobra lily (Darlingtonia) | Hooded pitcher | California and Oregon, USA | Hard: needs cool roots |
| Albany pitcher plant (Cephalotus) | Small pitchers | South-western Australia | Hard |
| Sun pitcher (Heliamphora) | Funnel pitcher | Tepui mountains of Venezuela and Guyana | Hard |
| Corkscrew plant (Genlisea) | Underground spiral tubes | Africa, South America | For collectors |
| Rainbow plant (Byblis) | Sticky hairs | Australia | Medium |
| Waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda) | Underwater snap trap | Eurasia, Africa, Australia | No: rare and protected |
Glands then release enzymes that dissolve the soft tissues within a few days, leaving only the empty exoskeleton.
The only species in its genus, found in the wild only in a small area of the Carolinas. A trap closes when its trigger hairs are touched twice within about 20 seconds, so it can tell prey from a raindrop. More in Venus flytrap facts and care.
Tropical vines with pitcher-shaped leaves. The largest pitchers hold up to 3.5 litres of fluid; they occasionally trap small frogs or rodents, but ants and flies are the usual prey.
About 250 species. Glistening drops of mucilage trap insects, and the hairs and leaf slowly curl around them.
North American bog plants with tall, often brightly coloured trumpet leaves. Hardy in cold winters — ideal for a bog garden.
Butterworts work like natural flypaper; Mexican species flower beautifully on a windowsill. Bladderworts live in water and fire their traps faster than almost anything else in the plant world.
About ten species grow wild in Ukraine: round-leaved, great and spoon-leaved sundews in the bogs of Polissia and the Carpathians, common and alpine butterworts, several bladderworts and the rare waterwheel plant listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. Never dig them up in the wild.
In 1769 the English naturalist John Ellis wrote to Carl Linnaeus that the Venus flytrap eats insects; Linnaeus did not believe him. Charles Darwin’s book “Insectivorous Plants” (1875) later proved it with experiments on sundews.
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No. They are not poisonous and only digest small animals.
Outdoors it will catch insects itself. Indoors, a live fly or small spider every 2–4 weeks is enough — never meat or cheese.
Traps naturally age and die; it can also be caused by prey that is too large, hard water or too little light.
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
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