DISCUSSION OF DEPENDENT PLANTS 



385 



354. Carnivorous plants. There are many kinds of plants ^ 

 which capture insects and other small animals. In some eases, 



at least, they may use the 

 captured animals as a part of 

 their food supply. These plants 

 may be roughly classified into 

 (1) plants which capture their 

 prey by means of sticky secre- 

 tions ; (2) plants which capture 

 their prey by means of hollow, 

 trap-like, motionless leaves ; 

 (3) plants which capture their 

 prey by means of moderately 

 quick movements of a sensitive 

 hinged leaf. 



It would take too much space 

 to discuss these classes of car- 

 nivorous plants in detail, so a 

 brief account of one representa- 

 tive of each class must suffice. 

 355. The sun- 



dews. These 

 are low marsh 

 plants, having 

 hairy leaves and 

 slender flower- 

 stalks on which 

 are borne small 

 white flowers 

 (Fig. 311). In 

 one of the com- 

 monest species 

 the leaf con- 



Fig. 311. Sundew {Drosera rotundifolia) 



sists of a roundish blade borne on a moderately long leaf- 

 stalk. On the inner surface and round the margin of the blade 

 1 Probably more than four hundred species. 



