DIONAEA MUSCIPULA
VENUS FLY
TRAP
On this page
you will find general information of Dionaea, and information about the cultivation and propagation.
This plant originates
from North and South Carolina in the United States.
The plants are
endangered due to the effects of dehydration and fertilisation.
Only cultivated
specimens are offered in the Netherlands.
These usually do
not live very long due to sheer ignorance in caring for the plant.
The Venus Fly
Trap is rosette shaped plant and is mainly found in swampy savannahs between
grasses and weeds. The rosette is constructed from 5 to 10 leaf stalks.
On the end of
every leaf is a “spring trap” shaped leaf blade that has a bright red colour
when grown under the right conditions.
In the middle of
every leafblade are 3 trigger hairs.
If one trigger
hair is touched several times within 20 seconds or if two different hairs are
touched at the same time the leaves will close with lightening speed.
The resisting
movements of the prey stimutale the plant to narrow its leaves crushing its
victim.
The plant release
digestive juices and the prey is thereby digested. After the digestion process
the leaves, will open again and the trap is ready for its next prey. The trap
can digest prey up to 4 times and can close up to 8 to 9 times a day.
If the leaves
close artificially too many times the plant looses energy. This can result in
the leaves dying off or simply not
closing anymore. In cultivation the plant can be fed flies on occasion.
A: spring-type
leaf-stalk or petiole. B and C: typical summer-type petioles.
After purchasing
the plant it can best placed in a bigger pot. The best soil is rough, pure
peat, without any fertilisers.
The plant will
not survive in soil that is too rich in nutrients. During the summer the plant
can very easily be put in a wide pot with standing water and placed in full
sunlight.
The plant can
also be put on the edge of a pond in a layer of peat. Another good spot is on
the windowsill facing the south in a saucer that contains approximately 1
centimetre of water.
All leaves die
off in the winter but the plants can survive frost. During the winter it is
important not to hydrate the soil too much or else the plant will die. During
its ‘hibernation’ the plant needs to be kept in a cool place in slightly moist
soil.
An alternative to this method
is to take the rhizomes out of the soil and place them in a plastic bag with
some peat moss or moist paper and keep them in the refrigerator. In April and
May the plants will show growth again and can then be potted.
Flower of Dionaea Muscipula
Young flowering scapes are
best removed as soon they appear unless seed is required, as flowering has a decidely
weakening effect upon the plant.
PROPAGATION. Seeds
should be sparsely scattered over the compost in a 10 or 13 cm pot, and only
just covered with a scattering of fine dry moss peat through a fine-mesh
kitchen sieve.
Then gently spray this surface
till moist and place the pot in a water tray. Plants usually take from five to
seven years to reach flowering size under normal conditions.
Leaf cuttings are best taken in late spring or early summer. The
leaf should be young and healthy, though mature,
The whole plant should be
lifted so that the entire leaf together with its base may be removed.
After the first few days they
should be examined, as movement of the traps often causes the cuttings to
shift, in which case the wide blade-like petiole may need to be re-anchored.
They usually take up to ten
weeks to form buds, but may take much longer.
When large enough to handle,
transplant to the recommended compost. If boootm heat can be provided, this
helps to speed the process, and may result in a higher strike percentage.
Leaves often start to die from the ends, but this is unimportant unless grey
mould (Botrytis cinerea) sets in, in which case that part of the leaf should be
removed.
Fleshy leaf bases from the
‘bulb’ may also be used to make leaf cuttings using the same method.
(From ‘Carnivorous Plants’
by A.Slack and ‘Carnivorous plants of
the world’ by J.and P. Pietropaolo and’
Carniflora’ by Gert Hoogenstrijd)
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