Dionaea

Low, reddish leaves surround the stem of this unique carnivorous perennial. The plant consumes its insect visitors with its leaves, whose two lobes are hinged at the center so that they can close to form a trap. Each lobe of the leaves is equipped with 3 sensitive trigger hairs which send electrical signals when disturbed. When at least two trigger hairs on a leaf are stimulated within a short period of time, the plant responds by causing cells in the hinge of the leaf to grow rapidly, causing the trap to close completely in about 1 second. The trap stays shut until the insect is digested. Grows well in a 50-50 mix of coarse sand and peat moss, kept moist or wet. Intolerant of even small amounts of nutrients or contaminants in its growing medium, Venus's flytrap should never be given any type of fertilizer and should be watered only with rainwater, distilled water, or soft, unchlorinated tap water. Best kept outdoors in summer. As a houseplant in winter, it may go dormant, but can be kept in active growth if given 16 hours of bright light per day to simulate summer conditions. In our experience, the plant is fairly cold-hardy. If you experiment with the plant outdoors in cold climates we would suggest that you also keep a division of the plant indoors just in case.