Botany & Plants
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Philcoxia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, discovered in Brazil, traps tiny worms using sticky underground leaves.
Sarracenia _ _ _ _ _ has slender, deep-red pitchers and thrives in the wetlands of the southeastern US.
Drosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the Cape sundew, is one of the easiest carnivorous plants for beginners to grow.
Pitcher plants like Nepenthes and Sarracenia lure prey into a deep, slippery-walled chamber: a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ trap.
Heliamphora _ _ _ _ _ _, the marsh pitcher plant, was the first sun pitcher species described to science.
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This continent is home to more native carnivorous plant species than any other, including dozens of sundews.
AUSTRALIANepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is unusual among pitcher plants for lacking a well-developed rim around its trap opening.
INERMISDrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a fast-growing tropical sundew often used to control gnats in greenhouses.
BURMANNIIByblis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, an Australian rainbow plant, has extremely thin, thread-like sticky leaves.
FILIFOLIAByblis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is called the rainbow plant for the way its sticky, dew-covered leaves glisten in sunlight.
LINIFLORASundews and butterworts trap prey with sticky glandular hairs, a trap type named for an old insect strip.
FLYPAPERUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ _ bears small lavender flowers and is often considered a weed in cultivated plant collections.
LIVIDAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ is a Mexican butterwort prized by collectors for its symmetrical rosette shape.
AGNATAFound in Portugal and Morocco, this plant traps insects with sticky, unmoving leaves despite growing in dry soil.
DEWYPINEByblis _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a rainbow plant adapted to seasonally dry parts of northern Australia.
AQUATICADrosera _ _ _ _ _ _, the forked-leaf sundew, splits each leaf tip into two sticky prongs.
BINATAGenlisea _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ produces small violet flowers above its corkscrew-shaped underground trap leaves.
VIOLACEAGenlisea _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ lures tiny soil organisms into spiraled underground leaves they can enter but not exit.
HISPIDULANepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ is one of the most variable pitcher plant species, ranging from New Guinea to Sulawesi.
MAXIMANepenthes _ _ _ _ _, found on Mount Kinabalu, catches falling tree-shrew droppings in its upper pitchers.
LOWIIDrosera _ _ _ _ _ _, the lance-leaved sundew, grows in shady rainforests of Queensland, Australia.
ADELAEUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ is a free-floating aquatic bladderwort with no roots at all.
GIBBANepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ has thin, delicate pitchers and a slender climbing stem.
GRACILISGenlisea _ _ _ _ _ has bright yellow flowers atop underground traps shaped like spiral eel pots.
AUREAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the common butterwort, uses greasy-feeling sticky leaves to trap gnats.
VULGARISNepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ grows at high elevation on Borneo and has unusually hairy, shaggy pitcher lids.
VILLOSADrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a tuberous Australian sundew whose round, umbrella-shaped leaf sits atop a wiry stem.
PELTATADrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the great sundew, has narrow upright leaves and grows across the Northern Hemisphere.
ANGLICAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a Mexican butterwort favored by growers, has striking pink-red flowers.
LAUEANAUtricularia species suck prey through a trapdoor into a vacuum-powered structure called a _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
BLADDERNepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _'s lid presses nearly flat against its small pitcher's mouth instead of arching upward.
ADNATABrocchinia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a carnivorous bromeliad that traps insects in a water-filled central pitfall of leaves.
REDUCTASarracenia _ _ _ _ _ has soft pink flowers and sweetly-scented pitchers, unlike most of its foul-smelling kin.
ROSEAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _, the alpine butterwort, grows in cold mountain regions of Europe and bears white flowers.
ALPINAGenlisea _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is among the smallest corkscrew plants, forming a tiny rosette just centimeters wide.
PYGMAEADrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _, from South Africa, has neat rosettes and is one of the hardier sundews to cultivate.
ALICIAETouching two tiny trigger _ _ _ _ _ inside a Venus flytrap's lobes within about 20 seconds makes it snap shut.
HAIRSMany carnivorous plants digest trapped prey using these protein-dissolving chemicals, much like a stomach's.
ENZYMESNepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ grows on Bornean limestone cliffs and has finely toothed pitcher rims.
BOSCHIANAHeliamphora _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is named for Cerro de la Neblina, the misty mountain massif on the Venezuela-Brazil border where it grows.
NEBLINAENepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _'s pitcher rim bristles with hooked, tooth-like spines curving inward toward the trap.
HAMATANepenthes pitchers earn the nickname '_ _ _ _ _ _ cups' because these primates have been seen sipping rainwater from them.
MONKEYNepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is one of the most widespread tropical pitcher plants, found across Southeast Asia.
MIRABILISHeliamphora _ _ _ _ _ _, a giant sun pitcher, can grow pitchers taller than half a meter.
IONASIRoridula _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a South African flypaper plant, relies on assassin bugs to eat the insects it traps.
GORGONIASUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is an aquatic bladderwort native to Australia's shallow ponds and ditches.
SIMPLEXNepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ has pitchers so squared-off in cross-section they look almost man-made.
TRUNCATACarnivorous plants evolved to trap animals mainly to supplement this scarce soil nutrient, along with phosphorus.
NITROGENUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ _, common in Asian rice paddies, produces tiny yellow flowers on thin stalks.
BIFIDADarlingtonia californica is nicknamed the _ _ _ _ _ lily for its hooded, forked-tongue-like appendage.
COBRASarracenia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is one of the rarest pitcher plants, found in just a few Alabama bogs.
OREOPHILAThe Venus flytrap and the aquatic waterwheel plant both slam hinged lobes shut in this fast-acting trap type.
SNAPTRAPRoridula _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a South African flypaper plant, can't digest its own prey without help from resident bugs.
DENTATANepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a rare New Guinea pitcher plant, has hooded pitchers with a see-through back that fools flying insects.
KLOSSIIDrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a South African sundew, forms neat, ground-hugging rosettes of reddish leaves.
VENUSTAThis pitcher plant, found only in a small pocket of southwestern Australia, has traps shaped like tiny moccasins.
ALBANYSarracenia _ _ _ _ _ has a tall yellow-green pitcher and a nodding lid that keeps out rain.
FLAVAHeliamphora _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is covered in fine hairs and grows on South American tabletop mountains called tepuis.
HISPIDAAldrovanda vesiculosa is nicknamed the water _ _ _ _ _ plant for its spoke-like whorls of tiny traps.
WHEELSundew leaves are covered in sticky, movable hair-like structures that curl around trapped insects, called _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
TENTACLESDrosera _ _ _ _ _ _, native to India and Australia, has slender leaves and tiny white flowers.
INDICAPitcher plants are described as this type of trap, since they catch prey without any moving parts.
PASSIVENamed for a Bornean king, Nepenthes _ _ _ _ _ is a giant pitcher plant big enough to drown rats and shrews.
RAJAHThe Venus flytrap's scientific name is Dionaea _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
MUSCIPULANepenthes _ _ _ _ _, from Sulawesi, curls its pitcher lid backward against the trap instead of arching over it.
EYMAENepenthes _ _ _ _ _ grows small, egg-shaped lower pitchers on the slopes of Sumatran volcanoes.
OVATAMost carnivorous plants grow in nutrient-poor, waterlogged, acidic wetlands known as these.
BOGSPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ is a bright yellow-flowered butterwort native to the southeastern United States.
LUTEAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a blue-flowered butterwort native to the wet pine flats of the southeastern US.
CAERULEADrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a South African sundew, has vivid red, strap-shaped leaves in a neat rosette.
SLACKIIHeliamphora _ _ _ _ _ is named for the explorer who first collected sun pitchers on a remote tepui summit.
TATEINepenthes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ produces slender, elegantly speckled pitchers and is popular with collectors.
VEITCHIIDrosera _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a compact Australian sundew, forms a tidy rosette of tiny spoon-shaped leaves.
SPATULATAThis English naturalist wrote the 1875 book 'Insectivorous Plants,' the first scientific study of the group.
DARWINSarracenia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the only pitcher plant native to Canada, is also Newfoundland and Labrador's floral emblem.
PURPUREADrosera _ _ _ _ _, the king sundew, can grow leaves over a meter long in the wild.
REGIAUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is one of the largest bladderwort species, floating in ponds across the Americas.
FOLIOSASarracenia _ _ _ _ _, the smallest species in its genus, hides a dome-like lid over a short pitcher.
MINORSarracenia _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the mountain sweet pitcher plant, survives only in a few Carolina bog sites today.
JONESIINepenthes _ _ _ _ _, one of the first pitcher plant species described to science, has a winged leaf stalk.
ALATAPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a giant Mexican butterwort with an unusually large, flat leaf rosette.
GIGANTEAThe Venus flytrap is native to only a tiny wild range along the border of North and South _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
CAROLINAGenlisea's spiraled underground tubes work like a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pot, letting prey enter but not easily leave.
LOBSTERPinguicula _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, popular with growers, has vivid pink to purple flowers and a compact leaf rosette.
IONANTHAUtricularia _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, among the most widespread bladderworts, often turns up uninvited in wet greenhouse pots.
SUBULATA