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This new display explores the diversity of traps and lures that are the hallmark of carnivorous plants. The centrepiece is a naturalistic boggy landscape with trickling stream, around which all the different sorts of carnivorous plants are congregated. The trap mechanisms on show include the sticky Sundews (Drosera) that catch their prey on globules of glue, the spring-traps of the Venus Fly-trap (Dionaea) and the Pitcher Plants that lure insects into drowning in inescapable reservoirs. The focus of the accompanying interpretation in this bicentenary year is on Charles Darwin’s experiments and observations on carnivorous plants, a passion of his. Darwin described the insect-eating Venus Fly Trap as ‘one of the most wonderful plants in the world’ and spent many years obsessively experimenting to prove that carnivorous plants were indeed active predators, obtaining essential nutrients, principally nitrogen, from attracting, trapping and digesting animal protein. There are several genera of carnivorous plants, distributed around the world on every habitable continent. They are very diverse in their growth forms and in the mechanisms by which they trap their victims. They are also extremely different in size and in the size of the organisms that they prey upon. Thus tiny, almost microscopic, water fleas provide the nutrient supply for Bladderworts (Utricularia) while the largest Nepenthes (a pitcher plant) from the tree canopies of tropical rain forests can even digest lizards and small mammals, so take care when visiting! |
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Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 1 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE. Tel: +44 (0)1223 336265 Fax: +44 (0)1223 336278 Email: enquiries@botanic.cam.ac.uk |
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