Venus Flytrap Research Paper

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Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant native in bogs and swamp lands in North and South Carolina. It was discovered in the 1700s and named after the Greek goddess Dione which gave it the scientific name Dionaea. The species name muscipula came from the Latin word “Mus” (mouse) and “Cipula” (trap). Venus flytrap is one of the only two known species of plants that use fast-closing, double-spaced trap mechanism to capture insects. The leaf of a Venus flytrap have two primary regions: a leaf-base that is capable of carrying out photosynthesis and grows out the ground and trapping mechanism; there was also a leaf-blade at the end of the leaf that is composed of two lobes hinged together by midrib. Venus flytrap each have between two to five trigger hairs on each lobe with three hairs on each lobe; the edge of the trap is lined with finger-liked cilia laced together when the trap shuts. The Venus …show more content…

To attract the insect, a mature Venus flytrap will grow a very long stalk so that the insect won’t get accidentally eaten. “At the top of the stalk, white flowers that secrete sweet-smelling chemicals, pollen and seeds that are 1mm long”. Venus flytraps has to be serval years old before it can get enough energy to make flowers and seeds. (http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4911676_venus-flytrap-reproduce.html Sexual reproduction in the Venus flytrap is no different than the other plants. Venus flytraps can be self-pollinated, meaning that you can fertilize the pistil with pollen from its own anthers. A few days after fertilization, the flowers will wither and die. The seed matures in 4-6 weeks after pollination occurred. “As the seed has matured, the tiny ovary turns jet black; about 1.5mm in length”. If the pollination attempt was unsuccessful, there will only be dead plant material.

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