Venus flytrap

Dionaea Dionaea muscipula
Leaf
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Droseraceae
Genus:	Dionaea Sol. ex J.Ellis 1768
Species:	D. muscipula
Binomial name
Dionaea muscipula J.Ellis
Distribution
Synonyms[2]
Dionea Raf., spelling variant Dionaea corymbosa (Raf.) Steud. (1840) Dionaea crinita Sol. (1990) as synonym Dionaea dentata D'Amato (1998) name published without description Dionaea heterodoxa D'Amato (1998) nom.nud. Dionaea muscicapa St.Hil. (1824) sphalm.typogr. Dionaea sensitiva Salisb. (1796) Dionaea sessiliflora (Raf.) Steud. (1840) Dionaea uniflora (Raf.) Steud. (1840) Drosera corymbosa Raf. (1833) Drosera sessiliflora Raf. (1833) Drosera uniflora Raf. (1833)

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant (a plant that eats small animals, such as insects). Carnivorous plants grow in soil that has little nitrogen. They get nitrogen from the insects they trap. This nitrogen is used to make intravenous food like proteins and fats.

The Venus flytrap is one of a very small group of plants that can snap shut very quickly. When an insect or spider crawls along the leaves and touches a hair, the trap closes only if a different hair is touched within twenty seconds of the first touch. The two-touch trigger means that little energy is wasted on things that are not food.^[3]

1. ↑ Schnell, D.; Catling, P.; Folkerts, G.; Frost, C.; Gardner, R.; et al. (2000). "Dionaea muscipula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000: e.T39636A10253384. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2000.RLTS.T39636A10253384.en. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1acd, B1+2c v2.3)
2. ↑ Schlauer, J. (N.d.) Dionaea muscipula Archived 2020-07-24 at the Wayback Machine. Carnivorous Plant Database.
3. ↑ Slack A (1988). Carnivorous plants. London: Alphabooks. pp. 18–19. ISBN 0-7136-3079-5.