Clinton News-Record, 1974-04-25, Page 27The native drosera that may be found In local swamp" is a
good example of an insect-eating plant.
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CLINTON NEWS-RECORD, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1974-11A
Carnivorous plants excite plant lovers
by
A.R. Buckley
Carnivorous or insect-eating
plants excite a kind of macabre
curiosity among most plant
lovers.
There is no doubt that many
insectivorous plants digest
their prey and will grow even
better when their diet of
mineral salt is augmented. It
has also been proved that they
can and invariably do live
without trapping insects.
Most insectivorous plants
grow in bogs or swamps, which
are very low in nitrogen, and it
is quite possible that the trap-
ping and digesting of insects
evolved from the plants'
requirements for this particular
element.
Contrary to popular opinion,
these plants are not capable of
consuming or digesting any.
animal larger than a
cockroach; man-eating plants
exist only in the realm of fic-
tion.
Insect-catching plants have
many methods of trapping their
unsuspecting victims. The sim-
plest is seen in our native pit-
cher plant (Sarracenia pur-
purea), so called because its
leaves resemble water pitchers.
The insect is first attracted by
the vivid reddish coloring of
the inside of the leaf. Very
small droplets of a sweet sub-
stance invite it to explore still
further. It is led to a slippery
area that provides no foothold
and falls into the water at the
base of the pitcher. The insect
is trapped by downward-facing
hairs that prevent its exit, and
it soon perishes in the digestive
fluid exuded by the plant.
A plant with a similar
method. of .trapping insects is
the cobra plant (Darlingtonial,
which has leaves like the pit-
cher plant,• that is to say, rolled
out like a tube, but with a kind
of lid that faces downwards.
The mouth of this extrance is
The last war saw the
development • of "victory gar-
dens" — empty city lots turned
into vegetable gardens to help
consumers supplement their
short supplies of fresh produce.
"In 1974 — and in fact the
past several years — there has
been a dramatic increase in the
number of home vegetable gar-
dens", says John Hughes, hor-
ticulturist with the Ontario.
Ministry of Agricultare and
Food. He sees this increase as a
result of the increasing food
costs.
"1973 was a year in which in-
creased food costs. received a
lot of publicity over the season.
`Inflation' gardens are one way
consumers can lower the cost of
their weekly food budget."
Garden centers and roadside
markets confirm the rapid rise
in interest with the sale of
vegetable transplants —
especially tomatoes, peppers
and •onion seedlings.
Since gardening is a prime
North American hobby, it's lit-
tle wonder that 'inflation' gar-
dens are catching on. It doesn't
take much space in the
backyard to grow a row of corn,
tomatoes, peas, beans, and
potatoes; and these and many
other Vegetables can be stored
or preserved in such a way that
they will last well into the win-
ter,
Even apartment dwellers are
lined with very thick inward-
facing hairs, so that insects that
enter will not be able to crawl ,
out again.
The most universal of all in-
sectivorous plants are the sun-
dews (Drosera species), which
grow in peat bogs, These plants
consist of a small rosette of
leaves from which arise a
graceful flo'wer stalk bearing
several white flowers, Each leaf,
is covered with glands at the
tips of long slender stalks,
somewhat resembling tentacles.
These glands secrete a sticky
substance that holds the insect
fast. The tentacles fold inward
over the prey, which is pressed
closely against , the leaf and
digested by enzymes.
The Venus fly trap (Dionaea
muscipula), native in North
and South Carolina, is fitted
with a very ingenious trap. Its
rounded' leaves are hinged and
can fold upwards towards the
middle. On the inside of each
valve (or half leaf) are three
hairs. When these are touched,
the leaves close rapidly and,
since along their margins they
have long teeth that mesh when
closed, any insect walking on
them is immediately trapped.
On the inside 'of the valves,
glands excrete a digestive fluid
and in a few days only the skin
of the insect remains, and the
trap opens to receive another
unwary victim.
The bladderworts, also
native in Canada, are aquatic
insectivorous .plants that have
devices similar to those used in
catching live mice. They'
produce small bladder-like
structures fitted with valves
that open only inwards. On the
outside of this door-like valve
are a few sensitive hairs which,
.when touched,.. allow the door
to fly open and admit the
water. Any small water insect
is caught in the rush of water,
and within a tenth of a second
is inside the bladder. The door
closes again and the insect can-
making use of the summer
growing season. Balcony gar-
dens . with patio pots of
tomatoes, radishes, lettuce and
peas .are, becoming very com-
mon. Hanging baskets of
vegetables are also being used
to help conserve space. And a
wide variety of vegetable plants.
will do well in these conditions.
"It's not likely that this
popularity is going to
decrease", says John Hughes,
"Consumers are able to plant
nearly all of their summer
vegetable needs. They can cut
their food costs and still get the
quality and freshness they
want."
Of course, there's work in-
volved in vegetable gardens —
keeping weeds down and wat-
ching for insect problems. But
all things considered, there
aren't too many hobbies that
you enjoy working with — and
then eat.
Forestall Weeds
Not only are crabgrass preventerS
helpful in the lawn, but they can be
applied at this time of year to shrub
borders and garden areas which
will not be cultivated. They should
prevent the sprouting of annual
weeds throughout spring.
fairly easy to grow in an
aquarium where, besides being
of interest for their insect cat-
' ching ability, they become very
pretty feathery foliage plants.
The sundews, the Venus fly
traps, the pitcher plants and
the cobra plants will grow best
in terraria such as goldfish
bowls half filled with moss and
1peat, At the Agriculture
Canada Plant Research In-
' sititute at Ottawa, where , in-
vestigation into the cultivation
of these plants have been
carried out, much success was
obtained with sundews and the
Venus fly traps by using peat
blocks.
A hole was bored in the
blocks large, enough to accom-
modate the plants. Milled peat
moss was used as the growing
media in the hole, The blocks
were then placed in saucers of
water in thre greenhouse, and
the plants grew luxuriantly.
The home gardener would
have better success if the peat
blocks were placed in a
terrarium. It was also found
that the plants needed a rest
period of from six to eight
weeks during the winter, when
they were given a cool tem-
perature and less water.
sot escape. The plants are then metically sealed. Enzymes are
able to push out the water from secreted and the insects
the bladder that becomes her- digested. These plants are
Inflation gardens will
help your food budget