Carnivorous Plants

Ready-grown carnivorous plants: Venus flytraps, sundews, Sarracenia and other spectacular carnivorous plants, with fast delivery across Greece.

What are carnivorous plants?

Carnivorous plants have a set of traits that let them obtain nutrients by trapping and consuming animals or protozoa, usually insects and other arthropods. They are defined by having all these traits together, as each one on its own – such as attracting or trapping prey – can also be found in some non-carnivorous plants.

These traits are:

Attraction: Carnivorous plants have various ways of attracting their prey. The most common are:
Camouflage: Carnivorous plants often have colours and shapes that blend into their surroundings, making them hard for their prey to spot.
Scent: They often produce sweet or floral scents that attract insects.
Lures: They often produce sticky substances or secretions that trap insects.
Trapping: Carnivorous plants have various ways of trapping their prey.

The most common are:

Snap traps:Plants with snap traps have leaves that close like a cage when prey touches them.
Pitchers: Pitcher plants have pitcher-shaped leaves into which prey falls and cannot climb back out. The prey dies and is absorbed by the plant.
Sticky hairs: Plants with sticky hairs have leaves covered in hairs that move when prey touches them, trapping it.

Digestion: Carnivorous plants have various ways of absorbing their prey.

The most common are:

Enzymatic digestion: They produce enzymes that break their prey down into nutrients.
Microorganisms: They often host microorganisms that help break down their prey.

How tough are carnivorous plants?

They tolerate nutrient-poor soils.
They tend to prefer very sunny environments.
Many tolerate soils with a low pH.
Many tolerate waterlogged ground and can grow in bogs and mounds, while others can survive severe water stress and even wildfires.

Contrary to past beliefs that carnivorous plants have weak roots or none at all, they actually have a wide variety of root systems. Their roots have not lost the ability to absorb nutrients from the soil, and the nutrients they get from their prey can be seen as an extra source.

 The best-known carnivorous plants are:

Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula): The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant native to the eastern United States. It has two-lobed leaves that snap shut like a cage when prey touches them.
Sundew (Drosera): The sundew is a carnivorous plant found all over the world. Its leaves are covered in hairs that secrete a sticky substance that traps insects.
Nepenthes: Nepenthes is a carnivorous plant found in Asia, Australia and Africa. Its pitcher-shaped leaves catch insects that fall in and die.
Sarracenia: Sarracenia is a carnivorous plant native to the eastern United States. It has pitcher-shaped leaves into which insects fall and die.
Butterwort (Pinguicula): Pinguicula is a carnivorous plant found in Europe, Asia and Africa. Its leaves secrete a sticky substance that traps insects.

Our shop offers a wide range of carnivorous plants of every kind. Explore our collection and bring a touch of the wild into your home. Grow these extraordinary botanical wonders with us and discover the fascinating world of nature’s hunters.