From Sound To Sea 



Natural Wonders of the Coast 



The Plant With an Unusual Appetite 



Charles Darwin called it "the most wonderful plant in the 

 world." 



The great naturalist had traveled the globe, seeking clues 

 to the mysteries of plants and animals. Yet, no plant fascinated 

 him more than the Venus' flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), a 

 botanical marvel found only within a 75-mile radius of 

 Wilmington, N.C. 



No one has come up with a satisfactory answer as to why 

 this strange plant does not prosper elsewhere, but legends 

 abound. One traces the original flytrap spores to a wandering 

 meteor that struck the earth millions of years ago. 



Of course, that's hogwash to most botanists. But none can 

 explain the flytrap's choice of habitat. They will tell you, 

 however, that the Venus' flytrap, and other insectivorous plant 

 species, are ideally suited to the low-lying, semi-bog savannahs 

 common along North Carolina's southeastern coastal plain. 



The soils in these savannahs are seriously lacking in the 

 one nutrient essential for plant survival: nitrogen. Over millenia, 

 the Venus' flytrap and its cousins developed ways of snaring 

 insects to supplement their diets, thus getting the much needed 

 element. 



In the Croatan National Forest near New Bern, biologist 

 Wayne Starnes keeps a careful watch over these unusual plants. 



leaves — perhaps attracted to the leaf's bright red lining — 

 tickling the tiny hairs that coat the surface. 



This action encourages the flow of juices stored under 

 pressure inside the plant, releasing the woody tissue hinge that 

 holds the plant's "jaws" open. The sides of the leaf snap shut, 

 often in less than a second, creating a cellulose prison. Over 

 several hours, the released juices digest the insect. 



Dionaea muscipula 



Over millenia, the Venus' flytrap 

 and its cousins developed ways of 

 snaring insects to supplement their diet, 

 thus getting the much needed element. 



"They are extensive over the southern part of the forest," 

 he says. "They love the little shallow areas between the sandy 

 uplands and the mud bottoms." 



Starnes says the plants are not endangered, but are 

 considered "sensitive." They are protected by policy, but not by 

 law. People who take them from the national forest can be 

 fined, he says. 



Contrary to popular belief, Venus' flytraps do not actually 

 "eat" their prey. A small insect crawls onto the flytrap's oval 



Oddly enough, the tiny hairs on the leaf's surface require 

 two "tickles" to begin the trapping process. This prevents the 

 plant from closing on a dead leaf or other inanimate object. 



The Venus' flytrap spreads its leaves close to the ground. 

 In May or June, the plant shoots tendrils about a foot into the 

 air. On these tenderils grow small white or yellow blossoms. 



Many people touring the southeastern area of North 

 Carolina refuse to go home without buying at least one sample 

 of the amazing insect-eating plant. Plant stores and roadside 

 stands sell Venus' flytraps and bulbs that have been propagated 

 in private nurseries. Jimmy Northrop of Northrop Insectivorous 

 Plant Farm near Wilmington ships them around the world. 



Someone once remarked that the existence of plants such 

 as the Venus' flytrap has given rise to fictions involving "man- 

 eating trees" and other hungry greenery. 



But who needs fiction when the truth is strange enough? 



— C. R. Edgerton 



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