PHANEROGAMIA, — 971 
546. In the Sundews (Fig. 147), which are common little 
bog-plants, the leaves have many stalked glands which 
secrete a sticky substance. ‘These glands are sensitive, and 
when an insect comes in contact with one or more of them 
and is held fast, the others slowly bend towards the insect, 
and the leaf itself rolls up, completely surrounding the un- 
fortunate victim. An acid fluid is produced by the glands, 
and by this the insect is dissolved and afterwards absorbed 
by the leaf-tissues. In midsummer it is no uncommon 
thing to find several of these leaves with insects upon 
them. 
547. The Carolina Fly-trap (Fig. 148), or Venus’s Fly- 
trap as it is frequently called, is one of the most remarka- 
ble plants known. It is a native of a small district near 
Wilmington, North Carolina, but is now grown considera- 
bly as a curiosity in conservatories. Each leaf has a 
rounded blade fringed on the sides with a row of stiff 
points or spikes. Upon each half of the leaf there are 
generally three sensitive hairs, and when these are touched 
the sides quickly close together, and the stiff marginal 
spikes interlock like the teeth of a rat-trap. “The upper 
surface of the leaf is thickly studded with minute glands 
of a reddish or purplish color” (Darwin). These secrete 
an acid fluid which has the power of digesting insects and 
other nitrogenous matters. When an insect happens to 
alight upon a leaf and touches one of the sensitive hairs 
the trap closes so quickly upon it that it is almost invaria- 
bly caught and securely held, its struggles only serving to 
increase the vigor of the grasp in which it is held. After 
a while the digestive fluid is poured out by the glands, and 
in this the insect is gradually dissolved. In this way the 
leaf-tissues absorb the insect, and are doubtless nourished 
