Unknown "carnivorous" plants, master hunters in nature, which ones are you familiar with?
Do you know what incredible "carnivorous plants" exist in nature? What are their amazing tricks to win? Plants have always been the most Buddhist existence in nature, and hunting has never seemed to be a battlefield for plants, but there are a group of maverick plants in nature that insist on turning themselves into good hunters of predators. Among them, the most famous is the pitcher plant, because it is relatively common, it can only be ranked at the bottom of the surprise list. Nepenthes is the most well-known, but it does not mean that it is weak, on the contrary it may be the strongest of these plants. Nepenthes are tropical plants, which are different in tropical regions all over the world, and there are many varieties. There are more than 170 kinds of wild plants, and there are even thousands of hybrid horticultural varieties. In fact, Nepenthes got its name because it has an organ that looks like a pig cage, but the pig cage is rarely seen now, and it is more like a bottle with a big belly and a small mouth. There is also a smooth "bottle mouth" and a matching "bottle cap". This seemingly ingenious bottle exists to hunt insects, and attracts insects by releasing aroma through the opened bottle cap. But the smooth mouth of the bottle makes it difficult for insects to settle, and can only slide off the bottom of the bottle. The bottle cap is closed at the same time. The liquid in the bottle can not only drown the insects, but also decompose it into nutrients for absorption, just like the gourd bottle in Journey to the West. It is worth mentioning that the Nepenthes rajah in Malaysia is the largest species, and can even prey on vertebrates and small mammals, such as lizards, mice, etc. Another type of Nepenthes is the Venus flytrap, which preys on its open and closed leaves. Usually like an open shell, there are whisker-like burrs on the edges of the leaves, which can be used to sense insects and quickly "bite" them. Venus flytrap leaves have red glands on the inner layer that secrete digestive juices to digest insects. So the Venus flytrap leaves are more like a bloody mouth when they open. Although it is described as the eyes and eyelashes of Venus when it is closed, and is even given a symbol of love and beauty, it is not known that it is the "executioner" of prey, but the Venus flytrap can usually only hunt smaller insects, such as flies etc., so it is called "Flytraps". The little insect-catchers in the plant world, which one is stronger to win by speed or by slime, and what about those who seek help from teammates? In fact, among the "carnivorous plants", the Venus flytrap has a close relative who lives in the water and has the same "meat-eating" hobby as it. In fact, just looking at it, the plant itself is a translucent green waterweed. Because of the distribution of its leaves, it is evenly distributed on both sides of the main stem, so it is named after the shape of a waterwheel. Like the Venus flytrap, the leaves of the waterwheel capture prey by opening and closing, but it is amazing that its leaves close very fast, which can be completed between 10 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds, and the speed of movement is the fastest in the plant kingdom. fastest. The prey captured by the waterwheel grass is also different from the Venus flytrap. Because it lives in the water, it mainly preys on aquatic invertebrates. In addition, unlike the trapping method of waterwheel grass, Portuguese sundew relies on two unique hunting skills of "sticking" and "rolling". They mainly live in places such as Portugal, Spain and Morocco in North Africa, hence the name. From a distance, sundew looks like a slender thatch, but there will be dense dewdrops secreted on both sides of the stems and leaves. These are not real dewdrops, but the mucus of sundew, which is used to stick insects. . These mucus will emit a sweet smell like honey to attract insects. Once the insects are stuck, the sundew will continue to curl inwards, and the insects will be firmly rolled into the interior of the leaves, so that they can better contact the glands. The insects are broken down by digestive enzymes secreted by the glands. But the digested sundew stretched out again, and it was as harmless to humans and animals as thatch covered with morning dew. In the way of hunting with Portuguese sundew, it is the Medusa tree that has the same purpose. Just hearing the name is very infiltrating. Medusa is a gorgon in Greek mythology. It is said that as long as you see her eyes, it will instantly petrify, but the Medusa tree is the most "vegetable" among these plants. The Medusa tree, native to South Africa, also secretes mucus to keep insects sticking, but it cannot digest it on its own. Therefore, we can only call another insect called stinging bug, which will eat other insects, excrete feces after digestion, and then be absorbed by the Medusa insect trapping tree, so they also form a common symbiotic relationship in the biological world. It has brightly colored flowers, but it is a first-class master at catching insects. What kind of plant is this? If other insect-catching plants are busy improving their skills and don't care about their image, Pansy is the kind of insect-catcher who can rely on looks, but relies on talent. The leaves of Pansy are in the shape of a lotus throne. Due to the low and thick succulent leaves, they are very similar to succulents. An upright stem will grow in the center, and the purple flowers will be very gorgeous. However, the laws of nature tell us that the more beautiful it is, the more dangerous it may be, and the pansy is the most dangerous existence for small insects. The hunting method of Pansy is that Jiang Taigong is hooked by fishing volunteers. The leaves will secrete acidic mucus and release a special smell to attract insects. A natural sticky flypaper, but flies with a stronger ability to break free sometimes escape. The powerful ability of Viola is mainly reflected in digestion. The acidic digestive enzymes secreted by Viola can not only digest the corpse of insects, but also have antiseptic effect. Therefore, in Sweden and Norway, it is even used by people. Used to make fermented cheese. Pansy has strong cold resistance, but there are also temperate and tropical varieties that do not sleep. If you think that growing flowers at home causes more mosquitoes, you may wish to breed a few Pansy. Another insect-catching plant that pays attention to shape and directly plays role-playing, it is the cobra lily. Although it is called a flower, it rarely blooms, and it seems more appropriate to call it cobra grass, and it does not seem to have any external resemblance to lilies. However, the similarity with the cobra is as high as 90%. If you look at it inadvertently, you will definitely think that there are many small cobra heads sticking out of the grass, and you will be shocked. What's more, the "snake head" part also grows forked leaves, just like the letter spit out by a cobra. Cobra lily also uses its scent to attract insects. Once the insects enter the interior from the "shekou" part, it is difficult to escape. What's more damaging is that it also has a translucent net-like fake outlet, which leads the insects in the wrong direction. Escapes and is finally broken down by secreted digestive enzymes. Which of these "carnivorous plants" do you think is the best plant hunter?