The venus flytrap we know to be wary of. But what about the pitcher plant? Or how about sundew, butterwort, or birthwort?
A couple weeks ago we talked about deadly nightshade. Today, I wanted to focus on plants that are deadly for another reason. Rather than poison, it’s digestion that you have to look out for with these plants.
Of course, by “you,” I mostly mean insects (although some carnivorous plants get large enough to ingest rats and bats as well). Though there are some terrifying sci-fi stories about people being eaten by huge, ravenous plants, that’s not actually the case in real life (phew!). Still, carnivorous plants are more common than you might think. From the tropics to Scottish bogs to New Jersey, they can be found all over the world.
They’ve also been known for a long time. Darwin himself wrote about “Insectivorous Plants,” describing six basic types: pitfall or “pitcher” traps, adhesive traps, snap traps, suction traps, lobster traps, and pigeon traps. In all the various traps, the idea is the same: lure in an insect with sweet nectar, then snare it and begin digestion. Many carnivorous plants grow in marshes or rocky mountaintops where nutrition is hard to come by, so they rely on nutrients from insects to thrive.
But carnivorous plants aren’t just fodder for scifi and insect nightmares. Some, like the South American pitcher plant, are linked to local folklore (in this case, tales of female vampires, so I guess scifi and nightmares aren’t too far off!). Others have been useful medicinally. The sundew, for example, was used in Europe as early as the 12th century to treat asthma. In Scotland, butterwort was thought to ward off witches and zombies.
And in conclusion, it’s important to note that even with carnivorous plants, it’s best to be polite. As one source put it, “Although people can force a [venus flytrap] to close by running a finger along it, carnivorous plant enthusiasts consider this rude.”
Selected Resources
Inkwright, Fez. Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants. Liminal 11: 2021.
Stewart, Amy. Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill: 2009.
