View source for Venus flytrap

{{Short description|Species of carnivorous plant}}
{{About|the plant|other uses|Venus Flytrap (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
 | status            = VU
 | status_system     = IUCN2.3
 | status_ref        = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Schnell, D. |author2=Catling, P. |author3=Folkerts, G. |author4=Frost, C. |author5=Gardner, R. |display-authors=etal| |date=2000 |title=''Dionaea muscipula'' |volume=2000 |article-number=e.T39636A10253384 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2000.RLTS.T39636A10253384.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
 | status2           = CITES_A2 
 | status2_system    = CITES 
 | status2_ref       = <ref name="CITESAppendices">{{Cite web|title=Appendices |url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php |website= CITES |access-date=14 January 2022}}</ref>{{NoteTag|Subject to [https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/app/2023/E-Appendices-2023-02-23.pdf CITES Annotation #4]}}
 | image             = VFT_ne1.JPG
 | image_caption     = Leaf
 | genus             = Dionaea
 | parent_authority  = [[Daniel Solander|Sol.]] ''ex'' [[John Ellis (naturalist)|J.Ellis]] 1768
 | species           = muscipula
 | authority         = J.Ellis
 | range_map         = Dionaea distribution (revised).svg
 | range_map_caption = Distribution
 | synonyms          = 
*''Dionea'' <small>Raf., spelling variant</small> 
*''Dionaea corymbosa''<br/><small>(Raf.) Steud. (1840)</small>
*''Dionaea crinita''<br/><small>Sol. (1990) as synonym</small>
*''Dionaea dentata''<br/><small>[[Peter D'Amato|D'Amato]] (1998) name published without description</small>
*''Dionaea heterodoxa''<br/><small>D'Amato (1998) ''nom.nud.''</small>
*''Dionaea muscicapa''<br/><small>St.Hil. (1824) ''sphalm.typogr.''</small>
*''Dionaea sensitiva''<br/><small>Salisb. (1796)</small>
*''Dionaea sessiliflora''<br/><small>(Raf.) Steud. (1840)</small>
*''Dionaea uniflora''<br/><small>(Raf.) Steud. (1840)</small>
*''Drosera corymbosa''<br/><small>Raf. (1833)</small>
*''Drosera sessiliflora''<br/><small>Raf. (1833)</small>
*''Drosera uniflora''<br/><small>Raf. (1833)</small>
 | synonyms_ref      = <ref>Schlauer, J. (N.d.) [http://www.omnisterra.com/bot/cp_home.cgi?name=Dionaea+muscipula ''Dionaea muscipula''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724175243/http://www.omnisterra.com/bot/cp_home.cgi?name=Dionaea+muscipula |date=24 July 2020 }}. Carnivorous Plant Database.</ref>
}}

The '''Venus flytrap''' ('''''Dionaea muscipula''''') is a [[carnivorous plant]] native to the temperate and [[humid subtropical climate|subtropical]] [[wetland]]s of [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]], on the [[East Coast of the United States]].<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |title=''Dionaea muscipula'' J.Ellis |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:275898-2 |date=2023 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref> Although various modern hybrids have been created in [[Horticulture|cultivation]], ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'' is the only species of the [[monotypic]] [[genus]] '''''Dionaea'''''. It is closely related to the waterwheel plant (''[[Aldrovanda vesiculosa]]'') and the [[Cosmopolitan distribution|cosmopolitan]] sundews (''[[Drosera]]''), all of which belong to the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Droseraceae]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter=4:Systematics and evolution of Droseraceae |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_pADwAAQBAJ&dq=monotypic+Dionaea&pg=PA27 |editor-last1=Ellison |editor-first1=Aaron M. |editor-last2=Adamec |editor-first2=Lubomír |date=2018 |title=Carnivorous plants: physiology, ecology, and evolution |edition=1st |location=Oxford, England, UK |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-877984-1 |pages=45}}</ref> ''Dionaea'' catches its prey—chiefly [[insect]]s and [[arachnid]]s—with a "jaw"-like clamping structure, which is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves; when an insect makes contact with the open leaves, vibrations from the prey's movements ultimately trigger the "jaws" to shut via tiny hairs (called "trigger hairs" or "sensitive hairs") on their inner surfaces. Additionally, when an insect or spider touches one of these hairs, the trap prepares to close, only fully enclosing the prey if a second hair is contacted within (approximately) twenty seconds of the first contact. Triggers may occur as quickly as {{frac|1|10}} of a second from initial contact.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.insidescience.org/news/investigating-venus-flytraps-speedy-snap |title= Investigating the Venus Flytrap |publisher= insidescience.com |last= Sumner |first= Thomas |access-date= 18 March 2018|date= 20 November 2012 }}</ref>

The requirement of repeated, seemingly redundant triggering in this mechanism serves as a safeguard against energy loss and to avoid trapping objects with no nutritional value; the plant will only begin digestion after five more stimuli are activated, ensuring that it has caught a live prey animal worthy of consumption. These hairs also possess a heat sensor. A forest fire, for example, causes them to snap shut, making the plant more resilient to periods of summer fires.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Venus flytraps shut their traps when flames approach |journal=Nature |date=24 August 2023 |volume=620 |issue=925 |page=925 |doi=10.1038/d41586-023-02654-x |pmid=37620571 |bibcode=2023Natur.620S.925. }}</ref>

Although widely cultivated for sale, the population of the Venus flytrap has been rapidly declining in its native range.<ref name=":0" /> {{As of|2017}}, the species was under [[Endangered Species Act of 1973|Endangered Species Act]] review by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=June 2017 |title=Venus Flytrap: Under Endangered Species Act review |url=https://www.fws.gov/southeast/pdf/fact-sheet/venus-flytrap.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006204118/https://www.fws.gov/southeast/pdf/fact-sheet/venus-flytrap.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2019 |access-date=15 December 2019 |website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The plant's common name (originally "Venus's flytrap") refers to [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], the Roman goddess of love. The genus name, ''Dionaea'' ("daughter of [[Dione (mythology)|Dione]]"), refers to an epithet of the Greek goddess [[Aphrodite]], while the species name, ''muscipula'', is Latin for both "mousetrap" and "flytrap".<ref name=Matt>{{cite web|url=http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-background-information.html?start=3 |title=Background Information on Venus Fly Traps – Venus Fly Trap naming and history |date=4 April 2008 |publisher=FlyTrapCare.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217021417/http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-background-information.html?start=3 |archive-date=17 December 2008 }}</ref><ref name=":7" /> The Latin word {{Lang|la|muscipula}} ("mousetrap") is derived from [[Mus (subgenus)|''mus'']] ("mouse") and {{Lang|la|decipula}} ("trap"), while the [[homonym]] word {{Lang|la|muscipula}} ("flytrap") is derived from {{Lang|la|[[musca (fly)|musca]]}} ("fly") and {{Lang|la|decipula}}.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924021611466|quote=cipula.|title=Varronianus: A Critical and Historical Introduction to the Ethnography of Ancient Italy and to the Philological Study of the Latin Language|last=Donaldson|first=John William|date=1852|publisher=J. W. Parker & Son|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924021611466/page/n467 431]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cIBFAAAAcAAJ&q=muscipula&pg=PT76|title=Dictionarium Minus: A Compendious Dictionary English-Latin and Latin-English|last=Wase|first=Christopher|date=1662|publisher=Maxwell|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7" />

Historically, the plant was also known by the slang term "'''tipitiwitchet'''" or "'''tippity twitchet'''", possibly an oblique reference to the plant's resemblance to human female genitalia.<ref name = Matt /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2880.html |title = How did the Venus flytrap get its name? |last = Rice |first = Barry |date=January 2007 |work = The Carnivorous Plant FAQ}}</ref> The term is similar to the term '''tippet-de-witchet''' which derives from [[tippet]] and witchet (archaic term for [[vagina]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/yugqtpa|title=tippet-de-witchet, n. – Green's Dictionary of Slang|website=greensdictofslang.com|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XtWDhgljvkC&q=tippet-de-witchet&pg=PA1533|title=A Dictionary of Sexual Language and Imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart Literature: Three Volume Set Volume I A–F Volume II G–P Volume III Q–Z|last=Williams|first=Gordon|year=2001|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-485-11393-8|page=1533|language=en|chapter=wicket}}</ref> In contrast, the English botanist [[John Ellis (naturalist)|John Ellis]], who gave the plant its scientific name in 1768, wrote that the plant name tippitywichit was an indigenous word from either [[Cherokee language|Cherokee]] or [[Catawba people|Catawba]].<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" /> The plant name according to the ''Handbook of American Indians'' derives from the [[Carolina Algonquian language|Renape]] word '''''titipiwitshik''''' ("they (leaves) which wind around (or involve)"), referring to the plant's leaves which wrap and trap its prey.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPZ1CQAAQBAJ&q=titipiwitshik&pg=PT155|title=The Cabaret of Plants: Forty Thousand Years of Plant Life and the Human Imagination|last=Mabey|first=Richard|date=2016|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-24877-7|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofameric02hodg|quote="titipiwitshik"|title=Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico: N–Z|last=Hodge|first=Frederick Webb|date=1912|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofameric02hodg/page/296/ 759]|language=en}}</ref>

==Discovery by Europeans==
On 2 April 1759, the North Carolina [[List of colonial governors of North Carolina|colonial governor]], [[Arthur Dobbs]], penned the first written description of the plant in a letter to English botanist [[Peter Collinson (botanist)|Peter Collinson]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctJXhT6UynYC&q=kind%20of%20catch%20fly%20sensitive|title=The Poetics of Natural History: From John Bartram to William James|last=Irmscher|first=Christoph|date=1999|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=978-0-8135-2615-7|page=31|language=en}}</ref> In the letter he wrote: "We have a kind of Catch Fly Sensitive which closes upon anything that touches it. It grows in Latitude 34 but not in 35. I will try to save the seed here."<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPZ1CQAAQBAJ&q=catch+fly+sensitive|title=The Cabaret of Plants: Forty Thousand Years of Plant Life and the Human Imagination|last=Mabey|first=Richard|date=2016|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-24877-7|language=en|chapter=The Challenge of Carnivorous Plants: The Tipitiwitchet (Chapter 16)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Diary of a journey through the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida: From July 1, 1765 to April 10, 1766 |last=Bartram|first=John|series=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society ;v. 33, pt. L |date=1942|publisher=American Philosophical Society|page=104|hdl = 2027/uc1.32106020417272}}</ref> A year later, Dobbs went into greater detail about the plant in a letter to Collinson dated Brunswick, 24 January 1760.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Lewis Weston Dillwyn|author2=Peter Collinson|title=Hortus Collinsonianus. An account of the plants cultivated by the late Peter Collinson|url=https://archive.org/details/hortuscollinson00collgoog|year=1843|publisher=W. C. Murray & D. Rees|page=[https://archive.org/details/hortuscollinson00collgoog/page/n35 18]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Gardeners Chronicle & New Horticulturist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhAjAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA306|volume=3–4|year=1875|publisher=Haymarket Publishing|page=306}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/northcarolina/explore/venus-flytrap-brochure.pdf?redirect=https-301 The Nature Conservancy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829070537/https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/northcarolina/explore/venus-flytrap-brochure.pdf?redirect=https-301 |date=29 August 2017 }} – Venus Flytrap</ref>

{{blockquote|The great wonder of the vegetable kingdom is a very curious unknown species of Sensitive. It is a dwarf plant. The leaves are like a narrow segment of a sphere, consisting of two parts, like the cap of a spring purse, the concave part outwards, each of which falls back with indented edges (like an iron spring fox-trap); upon anything touching the leaves, or falling between them, they instantly close like a spring trap, and confine any insect or anything that falls between them. It bears a white flower. To this surprising plant I have given the name of Fly trap Sensitive.|Arthur Dobbs}}

This was the first detailed recorded notice of the plant by Europeans. The description was before [[John Ellis (naturalist)|John Ellis]]'s letter to ''[[The London Magazine]]'' on 1 September 1768,<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xPoRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA523|title=The London Magazine, Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer|last=Ellis|first=John|date=1768|publisher=R. Baldwin|volume=October 1768|page=523|language=en}}</ref> and his letter to [[Carl Linnaeus]] on 23 September 1768,<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:alvin:portal:record-232608|title=Letter 23 September 1768, London to Carl Linnaeus|last=Ellis|first=John|date=23 September 1768}}</ref> in which he described the plant and proposed its English name ''Venus's Flytrap'' and scientific name ''Dionaea muscipula''.<ref>[http://www.huntbotanical.org/library/show.php?4 Directions for Bringing over Seeds and Plants, from the East Indies and Other Distant Countries, in a State of Vegetation]: Together with a Catalogue of Such Foreign Plants as Are Worthy of Being Encouraged in Our American Colonies, for the Purposes of Medicine, Agriculture, and Commerce. To Which is Added, the Figure and Botanical Description of a New Sensitive Plant, Called Dionæa muscipula: or, Venus's Fly-trap – (London, printed and sold by L. Davis, 1770).</ref>

== Description ==
The Venus flytrap is a small plant whose structure can be described as a [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]] of four to seven leaves, which arise from a short subterranean stem that is actually a bulb-like object. Each stem reaches a maximum size of about three to ten centimeters, depending on the time of year;<ref name="Sarraceniacom">{{cite web | url = http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html | work = The Carnivorous Plant FAQ | title = Venus flytraps | access-date= 13 June 2005 }}</ref> longer leaves with robust traps are usually formed after flowering. Flytraps that have more than seven leaves are [[Colony (biology)|colonies]] formed by rosettes that have divided beneath the ground.
[[File:Drawing of Venus Flytrap.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Illustration from ''[[Curtis's Botanical Magazine]]'' by [[William Curtis]] (1746–1799)]]

=== Fly trap leaves ===
The leaf blade is divided into two regions: a flat, heart-shaped [[photosynthesis]]-capable [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]], and a pair of terminal lobes hinged at the midrib, forming the trap which is the true leaf. The upper surface of these lobes contains red [[anthocyanin]] pigments and its edges secrete [[mucilage]]. The lobes exhibit [[rapid plant movement]]s, snapping shut when stimulated by prey. The trapping mechanism is tripped when prey contacts one of the three hair-like [[trichome]]s that are found on the upper surface of each of the lobes. The mechanism is so highly specialized that it can distinguish between living prey and non-prey stimuli, such as falling raindrops;<ref name="PRS">{{cite book|first1=Peter H.|last1=Raven|first2=Ray Franklin|last2= Evert |first3=Susan E.|last3=Eichhorn|title=Biology of Plants|url=https://archive.org/details/biologyofplants00rave_0|url-access=registration|edition=7th |publisher= W.H. Freeman and Company|year= 2005|isbn=978-0-7167-1007-3}}</ref> two trigger hairs must be touched in succession within 20 seconds of each other or one hair touched twice in rapid succession,<ref name="PRS"/> whereupon the lobes of the trap will snap shut, typically in about one-tenth of a second.<ref name=how>{{cite journal|last1=Forterre |first1=Yoël |first2=Jan M. |last2=Skotheim |first3=Jacques |last3=Dumais |first4=L. |last4=Mahadevan |date=27 January 2005 |url=http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/dumais/Publications/Nature2005.pdf |title=How the Venus flytrap snaps |journal=Nature |volume=433 |pages=421–425 |doi=10.1038/nature03185 |pmid=15674293 |issue=7024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202201809/http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/dumais/Publications/Nature2005.pdf |archive-date=2 December 2007 |bibcode=2005Natur.433..421F |s2cid=4340043 }}</ref> The edges of the lobes are fringed by stiff hair-like protrusions or [[cilium|cilia]], which mesh together and prevent large prey from escaping. These protrusions, and the trigger hairs (also known as sensitive hairs) are likely [[Homology (biology)|homologous]] with the tentacles found in this plant's close relatives, the [[sundew]]s. Scientists have concluded that the snap trap evolved from a fly-paper trap similar to that of ''Drosera''.<ref>{{cite journal | first1=Kenneth M. | last1=Cameron | first2=Kenneth J. | last2=Wurdack | first3=Richard W. | last3=Jobson | title=Molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants | journal=American Journal of Botany | volume=89 | issue=9 | year=2002 | pages=1503–1509 | doi=10.3732/ajb.89.9.1503 | pmid=21665752 }}</ref>

The holes in the meshwork allow small prey to escape, presumably because the benefit that would be obtained from them would be less than the cost of digesting them. If the prey is too small and escapes, the trap will usually reopen within 12 hours. If the prey moves around in the trap, it tightens and digestion begins more quickly.

Speed of closing can vary depending on the amount of humidity, light, size of prey, and general growing conditions. The speed with which traps close can be used as an indicator of a plant's general health. Venus flytraps are not as humidity-dependent as are some other [[Carnivorous plant|carnivorous plants]], such as ''[[Nepenthes]]'', ''[[Cephalotus]]'', most ''[[Heliamphora]]'', and some ''[[Drosera]]''.

The Venus flytrap exhibits variations in petiole shape and length and whether the leaf lies flat on the ground or extends up at an angle of about 40–60 degrees. The four major forms are: 'typica', the most common, with broad decumbent petioles; 'erecta', with leaves at a 45-degree angle; 'linearis', with narrow petioles and leaves at 45 degrees; and 'filiformis', with extremely narrow or linear petioles. Except for 'filiformis', all of these can be stages in leaf production of any plant depending on season (decumbent in summer versus short versus semi-erect in spring), length of [[Photoperiodism|photoperiod]] (long petioles in spring versus short in summer), and intensity of light (wide petioles in low light intensity versus narrow in brighter light).{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}

=== Other parts ===
The plant also has a flower on top of a long stem, about {{convert|6|in|cm}} long. The flower is pollinated from various flying insects such as [[Agapostemon|sweat bees]], [[longhorn beetle]]s and [[Cleridae|checkered beetles]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guarino |first1=Ben |title=Venus flytraps give insects that pollinate their flowers a break. They don't eat them. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/02/07/venus-flytraps-give-insects-that-pollinate-their-flowers-a-break-they-dont-eat-them/ |access-date=2 August 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=7 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|width=220 | height=170 |align=center
|File:Venus flytrap flower bud.jpg|Venus flytrap flower bud
|File:Flowering Venus flytrap plant.jpg|Flowering Venus flytrap showing its long flower stem
|File:Dionaea muscipula flower 1-2.jpg|Closeup of flower ({{circa}} 20 mm in diameter)
|File:Dionaea muscipula seeds.jpg|The species produces small, shiny black seeds.
}}

==Habitat and distribution==

===Habitat===
[[File:Venus flytrap Map.gif|thumb|Map of the original distribution of the Venus flytrap]]
The Venus flytrap is found in [[nitrogen]]- and phosphorus-poor environments, such as [[bog]]s, wet savannahs, and [[canebrake]]s. Small in stature and slow-growing, the Venus flytrap tolerates fire well and depends on periodic burning to suppress its competition.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |author1=W. Schulze |author2=E.D. Schulze |author3=I. Schulze |author4=R. Oren |name-list-style=amp | title=Quantification of insect nitrogen utilization by the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula catching prey with highly variable isotope signatures | journal=Journal of Experimental Botany | volume=52 | year=2001 | pages=1041–1049 | doi=10.1093/jexbot/52.358.1041 | pmid=11432920 | issue=358| doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Wildfire suppression|Fire suppression]] threatens its future in the wild.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-venus-flytra | work = Scientific American | author = Leege, Lissa | title = How does the Venus flytrap digest flies? | access-date= 20 August 2008 }}</ref> It survives in wet sandy and peaty soils. Although it has been successfully transplanted and grown in many locales around the world, it is native only to the coastal bogs of North and South Carolina in the United States, specifically within a {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} radius of [[Wilmington, North Carolina]].<ref>Darwin, C. R. 1875. [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5765 Insectivorous Plants].</ref> One such place is North Carolina's [[Green Swamp (North Carolina)|Green Swamp]]. There also appears to be a naturalized population of Venus flytraps in northern [[Florida]] as well as an introduced population in western [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref name="Schnell 2002">{{cite book |last=Schnell |first=D. E. |year=2002 |title=Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada |edition=2nd |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-540-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2SzHmAjUZcC }}</ref><ref name="Burke Museum">Giblin, D. Nd. [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Dionaea&Species=muscipula ''Dionaea muscipula''.] Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.</ref> The nutritional poverty of the soil is the reason it relies on such elaborate traps: insect prey provide the nitrogen for [[protein]] formation that the soil cannot. They tolerate mild winters, and require a period of winter dormancy to survive freezing temperatures and low [[Photoperiodism|photoperiods]]. It is a common misconception that Venus flytraps require dormancy if kept indoors under sufficient artificial light.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/articles/CPNv48n4p178_182.pdf |title=Grow Venus Flytraps Indoors |publisher=International Carnivorous Plant Society |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> However, most professional carnivorous plant growers recommend dormancy, and Venus fly traps grown without dormancy may require more light, water, and food to remain healthy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brianscarnivorous.com/venus-flytrap-dionaea-muscipula|title=Venus Flytraps (Dionaea)|website=Brian's Carnivorous|access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref>

They are full sun plants, usually found only in areas with less than 10% canopy cover.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310766408|title=Petition to list the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) as Endangered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act|last=Waller|first=Donald|date=21 October 2016|website=USFWS|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The habitats where it thrives are typically either too nutrient-poor for many noncarnivorous plants to survive, or frequently disturbed by fires which regularly clear vegetation and prevent a shady overstory from developing. It can be found living alongside herbaceous plants, grasses, [[sphagnum]], and fire-dependent [[Arundinaria]] bamboos.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gray |first1=Janet Bracey |last2=Sorrie |first2=Bruce A |last3=Wall |first3=Wade |title=Canebrakes of the Sandhills Region of the Carolinas and Georgia: Fire History, Canebrake Area, and Species Frequency |journal=Castanea |date=2016 |volume=81 |issue=4 |pages=280–291|doi=10.2179/16-112 |s2cid=89603409 }}</ref> Regular fire disturbance is an important part of its habitat, required every 3–5 years in most places for ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'' to thrive. After fire, ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'' seeds germinate well in ash and sandy soil, with seedlings growing well in the open post-fire conditions. The seeds germinate immediately without a dormant period.<ref name=":0" />

=== Distribution ===
''Dionaea muscipula'' occurs naturally only along the coastal plain of North and South Carolina in the U.S., with all known current sites within {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}} of [[Wilmington, North Carolina]].<ref name=":4" /> A 1958 survey of [[Herbarium|herbaria]] specimens and old documents found 259 sites where the historical record documented the presence of ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'', within 21 counties in North and South Carolina.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=Patricia R.|last2=Oosting|first2=H. J.|date=1958|title=Responses of Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) to Factors Involved in Its Endemism|journal=Ecological Monographs|language=en|volume=28|issue=2|pages=193–218|doi=10.2307/1942208|issn=1557-7015|jstor=1942208|bibcode=1958EcoM...28..193R }}</ref> As of 2019, it was considered extirpated in North Carolina in the inland counties of Moore, Robeson, and Lenoir, as well as the South Carolina coastal counties of Charleston and Georgetown. Remaining extant populations exist in North Carolina in Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico, Carteret, Jones, Onslow, Duplin, Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Cumberland, and Hoke counties, and in South Carolina in Horry county.<ref name=":4" />

=== Population ===
A large-scale survey in 2019, conducted by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, counted a total of 163,951 individual Venus flytraps in North Carolina and 4,876 in South Carolina, estimating a total of 302,000 individuals remaining in the wild in its native range.<ref name=":2" /> This represents a reduction of more than 93% from a 1979 estimate of approximately 4,500,000 individuals.<ref name=":0" /> A 1958 study found 259 confirmed extant or historic sites.<ref name=":6" /> As of 2016, there were 71 known sites where the plant could be found in the wild. Of these 71 sites, only 20 were classified as having excellent or good long-term viability.<ref name=":4" />

==Carnivory==
[[File:Dionaea muscipula closing trap animation.gif|thumb|left|300px|A closing trap]]

===Prey selectivity===
[[File:Venus Flytrap time lapse.webm|thumb|A time lapse showing Venus flytrap catching prey (see [[Commons:Category:Videos of Dionaea muscipula|more videos here]])]]
Most carnivorous plants selectively feed on specific prey. This selection is due to the available prey and the type of trap used by the organism. With the Venus flytrap, prey is limited to [[Beetle|beetles]], [[Spider|spiders]] and other crawling [[Arthropod|arthropods]]. The ''Dionaea'' diet is 33% ants, 30% spiders, 10% beetles, and 10% grasshoppers, with fewer than 5% flying insects.<ref name=Ellison>{{cite journal | doi=10.1093/jxb/ern179 | last1=Ellison |first1=DM|last2= Gotelli |first2= NJ | title=Energetics and the evolution of carnivorous plants – Darwin's 'Most Wonderful plants in the world' | journal=Journal of Experimental Botany | volume=60 | year=2009 | issue=1 | pages=19–42 | pmid=19213724 | doi-access=free }}</ref>

Given that ''Dionaea'' evolved from an ancestral form of ''Drosera'' (carnivorous plants that use a sticky trap instead of a snap trap) the reason for this evolutionary branching becomes clear. ''Drosera'' consume smaller, aerial insects, whereas ''Dionaea'' consume larger terrestrial bugs. ''Dionaea'' are able to extract more nutrients from these larger bugs. This gives ''Dionaea'' an evolutionary advantage over their ancestral sticky trap form.<ref name=Gibson>{{cite journal | doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02935.x | last1=Gibson |first1=TC |last2= Waller |first2= DM | title=Evolving Darwin's 'most wonderful' plant: ecological steps to a snap-trap | journal= New Phytologist | volume=183 |issue=1| year=2009 | pages=575–587 | pmid=19573135| doi-access=free | bibcode=2009NewPh.183..575G }}</ref>

===Mechanism of trapping===
{{See also|Plant arithmetic}}
[[File:Snap, Digest, Absorb - How the Venus flytrap processes prey 01.png |thumb| Stages and timing of the Venus flytrap carnivory process, ''[[Knowable Magazine]]''<ref name="Pain"/>]]
[[File:Dionaea-muscipula-Ausloeseborste-Mikroskopaufnahme.jpg|thumb|Closeup of one of the hinged trigger hairs]]
The Venus flytrap is one of a very small group of plants capable of [[Rapid plant movement|rapid movement]], such as ''[[Mimosa pudica]]'', the [[Codariocalyx motorius|telegraph plant]], [[starfruit]], [[sundew]]s and [[bladderwort]]s.

The mechanism by which the trap snaps shut involves a complex interaction between [[Elasticity (physics)|elasticity]], [[turgor]] and growth. The trap only shuts when there have been [[Plant arithmetic|two stimulations]] of the trigger hairs; this is to avoid inadvertent triggering of the mechanism by dust and other wind-borne debris. In the open, untripped state, the lobes are [[wikt:convex|convex]] (bent outwards), but in the closed state, the lobes are [[wikt:concave|concave]] (forming a cavity). It is the rapid flipping of this [[bistability|bistable]] state that closes the trap,<ref name=how /> but the mechanism by which this occurs is still poorly understood. When the trigger hairs are stimulated, an [[action potential]] (mostly involving calcium ions—see [[calcium in biology]]) is generated, which propagates across the lobes and stimulates cells in the lobes and in the [[midrib]] between them.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hodick |first1=Dieter|last2= Sievers|first2= Andreas | title=The action potential of ''Dionaea muscipula'' Ellis | journal=Planta | volume=174 |issue=1 | year=1989 | pages=8–18 | doi = 10.1007/BF00394867 |pmid=24221411|bibcode=1988Plant.174....8H |s2cid=3114033}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Suda | first1=Hiraku | last2=Mano | first2=Hiroaki | last3=Toyota | first3=Masatsugu | last4=Fukushima | first4=Kenji | last5=Mimura | first5=Tetsuro | last6=Tsutsui | first6=Izuo | last7=Hedrich | first7=Rainer | last8=Tamada | first8=Yosuke | last9=Hasebe | first9=Mitsuyasu | title=Calcium dynamics during trap closure visualized in transgenic Venus flytrap | journal=Nature Plants | year=2020 | volume=6 | issue=10 | pages=1219–1224 | doi=10.1038/s41477-020-00773-1 | pmid=33020606 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2020NatPl...6.1219S }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Giaimo|first=Cara|date=2020-10-12|title=Why Scientists Made Venus Flytraps That Glow|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/science/venus-flytraps-close.html|access-date=2020-10-19|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

It is hypothesized that there is a threshold of ion buildup for the Venus flytrap to react to stimulation.<ref name="buildup">{{Cite press release |title=The Trap Snaps Shut|publisher=Wiley ChemBioChem|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/pb-assets/assets/14397633/press/201001press.pdf|date=January 2010}}</ref> The [[acid growth]] theory states that individual cells in the outer layers of the lobes and midrib rapidly move [[proton|<sup>1</sup>H<sup>+</sup>]] ([[hydrogen ion]]s) into their cell walls, lowering the [[pH]] and loosening the extracellular components, which allows them to swell rapidly by [[osmosis]], thus elongating and changing the shape of the trap lobe. Alternatively, cells in the inner layers of the lobes and midrib may rapidly secrete other [[ion]]s, allowing water to follow by osmosis, and the cells to collapse. Both of these mechanisms may play a role and have some experimental evidence to support them.<ref name="Williams 2002">Williams, S. E. 2002. [http://carnivorousplants.org/cpn/articles/ICPS2002confp77_81.pdf Comparative physiology of the Droseraceae ''sensu stricto'' – How do tentacles bend and traps close?] Proceedings of the 4th International Carnivorous Plant Society Conference. Tokyo, Japan. pp. 77–81.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hodick |first1=Dieter|last2= Sievers|first2= Andreas | title=On the mechanism of closure of Venus flytrap (''Dionaea muscipula'' Ellis) | journal=Planta | volume=179 |issue=1| year=1988 | pages=32–42 | doi = 10.1007/BF00395768 | pmid=24201419|bibcode=1989Plant.179...32H |s2cid=23445586}}</ref>
Flytraps show an example of [[memory in plants]]; the plant knows if one of its trigger hairs have been touched, and remembers this for a few seconds. If a second touch occurs during that time frame, the flytrap closes.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chamovitz|first1=Daniel|title=What a Plant Knows|date=2012|publisher=Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux|location=United States|isbn=978-0-374-53388-5|page=117}}</ref> After closing, the flytrap [[Plant arithmetic|counts]] additional stimulations of the trigger hairs, to five total, to start the production of digesting enzymes.<ref name="BöhmScherzer2016">{{cite journal|last1=Böhm|first1=J.|last2=Scherzer|first2=S.|last3=Krol|first3=E.|last4=Kreuzer|first4=I.|last5=von Meyer|first5=K.|last6=Lorey|first6=C.|last7=Mueller|first7=T. D.|last8=Shabala|first8=L.|last9=Monte|first9=I.|last10=Solano|first10=R.|last11=Al-Rasheid|first11=K. A. S.|last12=Rennenberg|first12=H.|last13=Shabala|first13=S.|last14=Neher|first14=E.|last15=Hedrich|first15=R.|title=The Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula Counts Prey-Induced Action Potentials to Induce Sodium Uptake|journal=Current Biology|year=2016|issn=0960-9822|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.057|volume=26|issue=3|pages=286–295|pmid=26804557|pmc=4751343|bibcode=2016CBio...26..286B }}</ref>

[[File:Dionaea, muscoid fly.jpg|thumb|[[Muscoidea|Muscoid fly]]]]
[[File:Dionaea Paria beetle.jpg|thumb|Chrysomelid beetle, ''[[Paria (beetle)|Paria]]'']]

===Digestion===
If the prey is unable to escape, it will continue to stimulate the inner surface of the lobes, and this causes a further growth response that forces the edges of the lobes together, eventually sealing the trap [[Hermetic seal|hermetically]] and forming a "stomach" in which [[digestion]] occurs. Release of the digestive enzymes is controlled by the hormone [[jasmonic acid]], the same hormone that triggers the release of toxins as an anti-herbivore defense mechanism in non-carnivorous plants. (See [[#Evolution|Evolution]] below)<ref name="BöhmScherzer2016" /><ref name="Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies">{{cite journal|last1=Bemm|first1=Felix|last2=Becker|first2=Dirk|last3=Larisch|first3=Christina|last4=Kreuzer|first4=Ines|last5=Escalante-Perez|first5=Maria|last6=Schulze|first6=Waltraud X.|last7=Ankenbrand|first7=Markus|last8=Weyer|first8=Anna-Lena Van de|last9=Krol|first9=Elzbieta|last10=Al-Rasheid|first10=Khaled A.|last11=Mithöfer|first11=Axel|last12=Weber|first12=Andreas P.|last13=Schultz|first13=Jörg|last14=Hedrich|first14=Rainer|title=Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies|journal=Genome Research|date=4 May 2016|doi=10.1101/gr.202200.115|url=http://genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2016/04/28/gr.202200.115|access-date=26 May 2016|language=en|issn=1088-9051|volume=26|issue=6|pages=812–825|pmid=27197216|pmc=4889972}}</ref> Once the digestive glands in the leaf lobes have been activated, digestion is [[catalysis|catalysed]] by [[hydrolase]] enzymes secreted by the glands. One of these enzymes includes GH18 chitinase, which breaks down chitin-containing exoskeleton of trapped insects. Synthesis of this enzyme begins with at least five action potentials, which will stimulate transcription of chitinase.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hedrich |first1=Rainer |last2=Fukushima |first2=Kenji |date=2021-06-17 |title=On the Origin of Carnivory: Molecular Physiology and Evolution of Plants on an Animal Diet |journal=Annual Review of Plant Biology |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=133–153 |doi=10.1146/annurev-arplant-080620-010429 |pmid=33434053 |s2cid=231595236 |issn=1543-5008|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021AnRPB..72..133H }}</ref>

Oxidative protein modification is likely to be a pre-digestive mechanism used by ''Dionaea muscipula''. Aqueous leaf extracts have been found to contain [[quinone]]s such as the [[naphthoquinone]] [[plumbagin]] that couples to different [[NADH]]-dependent [[Methemoglobin reductase|diaphorase]]s to produce [[superoxide]] and [[hydrogen peroxide]] upon [[autoxidation]].<ref name=Galek>{{cite journal |vauthors=Galek H, Osswald WF, Elstner EF | title=Oxidative protein modification as predigestive mechanism of the carnivorous plant ''Dionaea muscipula'': an hypothesis based on in vitro experiments | journal=Free Radic Biol Med | volume=9 | issue=5 | year=1990 | pages=427–434 | pmid = 2292436 | doi =10.1016/0891-5849(90)90020-J }}</ref> Such oxidative modification could rupture animal cell membranes. [[Plumbagin]] is known to induce [[apoptosis]], associated with the regulation of the [[Bcl-2]] family of proteins.<ref name=Hsu>{{cite journal |vauthors=Hsu YL, Cho CY, Kuo PL, Huang YT, Lin CC | title=Plumbagin (5-Hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in A549 Cells through p53 Accumulation via c-Jun NH2-Terminal Kinase-Mediated Phosphorylation at Serine 15 in Vitro and in Vivo | journal=J Pharmacol Exp Ther | volume=318 | issue=2 |date=Aug 2006 | pages=484–494 | pmid = 16632641 | doi = 10.1124/jpet.105.098863| s2cid=6880736 }}</ref> When the ''Dionaea'' extracts were pre-incubated with diaphorases and NADH in the presence of [[serum albumin]] (SA), subsequent [[Trypsin|tryptic]] digestion of SA was facilitated.<ref name=Galek/> Since the [[Exocrine gland|secretory gland]]s of [[Droseraceae]] contain [[protease]]s and possibly other [[degradative enzyme]]s, it may be that the presence of oxygen-activating [[redox]] [[Cofactor (biochemistry)|cofactor]]s function as extracellular [[Saliva|pre-digestive]] [[oxidant]]s to render membrane-bound proteins of the prey ([[insect]]s) more susceptible to [[Proteolysis|proteolytic]] attacks.<ref name=Galek/>

Digestion takes about ten days, after which the prey is reduced to a husk of [[chitin]]. The trap then reopens, and is ready for reuse.<ref name=bbc-episode-9>{{cite episode |title=Plants |series=Life |credits=Produced by Neil Lucas |station=BBC One |airdate=7 December 2009|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p90d6}}</ref>

==Evolution==
[[File:Drosera falconeri Darwiniana.jpg|thumb|''[[Drosera falconeri]]'', with short, wide, sticky leaf traps]]
Carnivory in plants is a very specialized form of [[foliar feeding]], and is an adaptation found in several plants that grow in nutrient-poor soil. Carnivorous traps were naturally selected to allow these organisms to compensate for the nutrient deficiencies of their harsh environments and compensate for the reduced photosynthetic benefit.<ref>{{cite journal | author=AM Ellison | title=Nutrient limitation and stoichiometry of carnivorous plants | journal=Plant Biology | volume=8 | issue=6 |  year=2006 | pages=740–747 | url=http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/publications/pdfs/ellison_PlantBio_2006.pdf | doi=10.1055/s-2006-923956| pmid=17203429 | bibcode=2006PlBio...8..740E | s2cid=260253121 }}</ref> Phylogenetic studies have shown that carnivory in plants is a common adaptation in habitats with abundant sunlight and water but scarce nutrients.<ref name="Gibson" /> Carnivory has evolved independently six times in the [[angiosperms]] based on extant species, with likely many more carnivorous plant lineages now extinct.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Albert|first1=V. A.|last2=Williams|first2=S. E.|last3=Chase|first3=M. W.|date=11 September 1992|title=Carnivorous plants: phylogeny and structural evolution|journal=Science|language=en|volume=257|issue=5076|pages=1491–1495|doi=10.1126/science.1523408|issn=0036-8075|pmid=1523408|bibcode=1992Sci...257.1491A}}</ref>

The "snap trap" mechanism characteristic of ''Dionaea'' is shared with only one other carnivorous plant genus, ''[[Aldrovanda]]''. For most of the 20th century, this relationship was thought to be coincidental, more precisely an example of [[convergent evolution]]. Some phylogenetic studies even suggested that the closest living relatives of ''Aldrovanda'' were the [[sundew]]s.<ref name="Gibson 2009" /> It was not until 2002 that a molecular evolutionary study, by analyzing combined [[nuclear DNA|nuclear]] and [[chloroplast DNA]] sequences, indicated that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' were closely related and that the snap trap mechanism evolved only once in a [[common ancestor]] of the two genera.<ref name="Cameron">{{cite journal | last1 = Cameron | first1 = K. M. | last2 = Wurdack | first2 = K. J. | last3 = Jobson | first3 = R. W. | year = 2002 | title = Molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 89 | issue = 9 | pages = 1503–1509 | doi = 10.3732/ajb.89.9.1503 | pmid = 21665752 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |pmid=21659087 |title=Phylogeny of the sundews, ''Drosera'' (Droseraceae), based on chloroplast rbcL and nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA Sequences |author=Rivadavia, F. |author2=K. Kondo |author3= M. Kato |author4=M. Hasebe |name-list-style=amp |year=2003 |journal=American Journal of Botany | volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=123–130 |doi=10.3732/ajb.90.1.123|doi-access=free }}</ref>

A 2009 study<ref name="Gibson 2009"/> presented evidence for the evolution of snap traps of ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' from a flypaper trap like ''Drosera regia'', based on [[molecular phylogenetics|molecular data]]. The molecular and physiological data imply that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' snap traps evolved from the flypaper traps of a common ancestor with ''[[Drosera]]''. Pre-adaptations to the evolution of snap traps were identified in several species of ''Drosera'', such as rapid leaf and tentacle movement. The model proposes that plant carnivory by snap trap evolved from the flypaper traps, driven by increasing prey size. Bigger prey provides greater nutritional value, but large insects can easily escape the sticky mucilage of flypaper traps; the evolution of snap traps would therefore prevent escape and [[kleptoparasitism]] (theft of prey captured by the plant before it can derive benefit from it), and would also permit a more complete digestion.<ref name="Gibson 2009"/><ref name="Cameron" />

In 2016, a study of the expression of genes in the plant's leaves as they captured and digested prey was published in the journal ''[[Genome Research]]''. The gene activation observed in the leaves of the plants gives support to the hypothesis that the carnivorous mechanisms present in the flytrap are a specially adapted version of mechanisms used by non-carnivorous plants to defend against herbivorous insects.<ref name="Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies" /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Stokstad|first1=E.|title=How the Venus flytrap acquired its taste for meat|journal=Science|date=12 May 2016|volume=352|issue=6287|page=756|doi=10.1126/science.352.6287.756|pmid=27174967|bibcode=2016Sci...352..756S}}</ref> In many non-carnivorous plants, [[jasmonic acid]] serves as a signaling molecule for the activation of defense mechanisms, such as the production of hydrolases, which can destroy [[chitin]] and other molecular components of insect and microbial pests.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Turner|first1=John G.|last2=Ellis|first2=Christine|last3=Devoto|first3=Alessandra|title=The Jasmonate Signal Pathway|journal=The Plant Cell|date=1 May 2002|volume=14|issue=suppl 1|pages=S153–S164|doi=10.1105/tpc.000679|language=en|issn=1532-298X|pmid=12045275|pmc=151253|bibcode=2002PlanC..14S.153T }}</ref> In the Venus flytrap, this same molecule has been found to be responsible for the activation of the plant's digestive glands. A few hours after the capture of prey, another set of genes is activated inside the glands, the same set of genes that is active in the roots of other plants, allowing them to absorb nutrients. The use of similar biological pathways in the traps as non-carnivorous plants use for other purposes indicates that somewhere in its evolutionary history, the Venus flytrap repurposed these genes to facilitate carnivory.<ref name="Pain">{{cite journal |last1=Pain |first1=Stephanie |title=How plants turned predator |journal=Knowable Magazine |date=2 March 2022 |doi=10.1146/knowable-030122-1|doi-access=free |url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2022/how-plants-turned-predator |access-date=11 March 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Hedrich">{{cite journal |last1=Hedrich |first1=Rainer |last2=Fukushima |first2=Kenji |title=On the Origin of Carnivory: Molecular Physiology and Evolution of Plants on an Animal Diet |journal=Annual Review of Plant Biology |date=17 June 2021 |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=133–153 |doi=10.1146/annurev-arplant-080620-010429 |pmid=33434053 |s2cid=231595236 |issn=1543-5008|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021AnRPB..72..133H }}</ref>

===Proposed evolutionary history===
Carnivorous plants are generally [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]], and their traps the result of [[primary growth]]. They generally do not form readily fossilizable structures such as thick bark or wood. As a result, there is no fossil evidence of the steps that might link ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'', or either genus with their common ancestor, ''Drosera''. Nevertheless, it is possible to infer an evolutionary history based on phylogenetic studies of both genera. Researchers have proposed a series of steps that would ultimately result in the complex snap-trap mechanism:<ref name="Gibson 2009"/><ref name="Cameron" />

* Larger insects usually walk over the plant, instead of flying to it,<ref name="BBC 2009">{{cite news|title=Venus flytrap origins uncovered|work=BBC News|year=2009|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151644.stm}}</ref> and are more likely to break free from sticky glands alone. Therefore, a plant with wider leaves, like ''[[Drosera falconeri]]'',<ref name="Gibson 2009">{{cite journal|last2=Waller|first2=D. M.|year=2009|title=Evolving Darwin's 'most wonderful' plant: ecological steps to a snap-trap|journal=[[New Phytologist]]|volume=183|issue=3|pages=575–587|doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02935.x|pmid=19573135|last1=Gibson|first1=T. C.|doi-access=free|bibcode=2009NewPh.183..575G }}</ref> must have adapted to move the trap and its stalks in directions that maximized its chance of capturing and retaining such prey—in this particular case, longitudinally. Once adequately "wrapped", escape would be more difficult.<ref name="BBC 2009" />
* Evolutionary pressure then selected for plants with shorter response time, in a manner similar to ''[[Drosera burmanni]]'' or ''[[Drosera glanduligera]]''. The faster the closing, the less reliant on the flypaper model the plant would be.
* As the trap became more and more active, the energy required to "wrap" the prey increased. Plants that could somehow differentiate between actual insects and random detritus/rain droplets would have an advantage, thus explaining the specialization of inner tentacles into trigger hairs.
* Ultimately, as the plant relied more on closing around the insect rather than gluing them to the leaf surface, the tentacles so evident in ''Drosera'' would lose their original function altogether, becoming the "teeth" and trigger hairs—an example of natural selection utilizing pre-existing structures for new functions.
* Completing the transition, the plant eventually developed the depressed digestive glands found inside the trap, rather than using the dews in the stalks, further differentiating it from genus ''Drosera''.

Phylogenetic studies using molecular characters place the emergence of carnivory in the ancestors of ''Dionaea muscipula'' to 85.6''&nbsp;''million years ago, and the development of the snap-trap in the ancestors of ''Dionaea'' and its sister genus ''Aldrovanda'' to approximately 48''&nbsp;''million years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_pADwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=Carnivorous Plants: Physiology, Ecology, and Evolution|last1=Ellison|first1=Aaron M.|last2=Adamec|first2=Lubomír|date=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-877984-1|language=en}}</ref>

==Cultivation==
[[File:Dionaea muscipula akai ryu.jpg|thumb|''Dionaea muscipula'' 'Akai Ryu', Japanese for 'Red Dragon', in cultivation]]
Plants can be propagated by seed, taking around four to five years to reach maturity. More commonly, they are propagated by clonal division in spring or summer. Venus flytraps can also be propagated ''in vitro'' using [[plant tissue culture]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jang|first1=Gi-Won|last2=Kim|first2=Kwang-Soo|last3=Park|first3=Ro-Dong|title=Micropropagation of Venus fly trap by shoot culture|journal=Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture|date=2003|volume=72|issue=1|pages=95–98|doi=10.1023/A:1021203811457|s2cid=40976899}}</ref> Most Venus flytraps found for sale in nurseries garden centers have been produced using this method, as this is the most cost-effective way to propagate them on a large scale. Regardless of the propagation method used, the plants will live for 20 to 30 years if cultivated in the right conditions.<ref name="D'Amato">{{cite book|last=D'Amato|first= Peter|year= 1998|title=The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants|publisher=Ten Speed Press|location= Berkeley, California|isbn=978-0-89815-915-8|title-link= The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants}}</ref>

===Cultivars===
{{main|List of Venus flytrap cultivars}}
Venus flytraps are by far the most commonly recognized and cultivated carnivorous plant, and they are frequently sold as houseplants. Various [[cultivar]]s (cultivated varieties) have come into the market through tissue culture of selected genetic mutations, and these plants are raised in large quantities for commercial markets. The cultivars 'Akai Ryu' and 'South West Giant' have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=AGM Plants March 2020 RHS – ORNAMENTAL |date=March 2020 |website=rhs.org.uk |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |publisher=The Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=11 September 2020 }}</ref>

==Conservation==
Although widely cultivated for sale as a houseplant, ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'' has suffered a significant decline in its population in the wild. The population in its native range is estimated to have decreased 93% since 1979.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2019/05/21/biodiversity-day-venus-flytrap-preservation|title=Biodiversity Day: Venus Flytrap Preservation {{!}} NC DNCR|website=www.ncdcr.gov|date=21 May 2019 |language=en|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref>

=== Status ===
The species is under [[Endangered Species Act of 1973|Endangered Species Act]] review by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2017-12-20/pdf/2017-27389.pdf#page=1|title=Federal Register / Vol. 82 / December 20, 2017 / Proposed Rules|date=20 December 2017|website=Government Publishing Office (US)|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The current review commenced in 2018, after an initial "90-day" review found that action may be warranted. A previous review in 1993 resulted in a determination that the plant was a "Potential candidate without sufficient data on vulnerability".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/fedreg/fr058/fr058188/fr058188.pdf|title=Federal Register / Vol. 58, No. 188 |date=30 September 1993|website=cdn.loc.gov|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The [[IUCN Red List]] classifies the species as "vulnerable".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/en|title=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|website=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> The State of North Carolina lists ''Dionaea muscipula'' as a species of "Special Concern–Vulnerable".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plants.usda.gov/java/threat?stateSelect=US37&statelist=states|title=Threatened Search Results |website=plants.usda.gov|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> The species is protected under Appendix II of the [[Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species]] (CITES) meaning international trade (including in parts and derivatives) is regulated by the CITES permitting system.<ref name="CITES">{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref> [[NatureServe]] classified it as "Imperiled" (G2) in a 2018 review.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Dionaea+muscipula|title=Comprehensive Report Species – Dionaea muscipula|website=explorer.natureserve.org|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref>

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not indicated a timeline to conclude its current review of ''Dionaea muscipula''. The Endangered Species Act specifies a two-year timeline for a species review. However, the species listing process takes 12.1 years on average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160810181029.htm|title=Many endangered species face long waits for protection: Scientists concerned about decreasing global diversity as a result|website=ScienceDaily|language=en|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref>

=== Threats ===
The Venus flytrap is only found in the wild in a very particular set of conditions, requiring flat land with moist, acidic, nutrient-poor soils that receive full sun and burn frequently in forest fires, and is therefore sensitive to many types of disturbance.<ref name=":0" /> A 2011 review identified five categories of threats for the species: agriculture, road-building, biological resource use (poaching and lumber activities), natural systems modifications (drainage and fire suppression), and pollution (fertilizer).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jennings|first1=David E.|last2=Rohr|first2=Jason R.|date=1 May 2011|title=A review of the conservation threats to carnivorous plants|journal=Biological Conservation|series=Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate|volume=144|issue=5|pages=1356–1363|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.03.013|bibcode=2011BCons.144.1356J |issn=0006-3207}}</ref>

[[Habitat destruction|Habitat loss]] is a major threat to the species. The human population of the coastal Carolinas is rapidly expanding. For example, Brunswick County, North Carolina, which has the largest number of Venus flytrap populations, has seen a 27% increase in its human population from 2010 to 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/brunswickcountynorthcarolina|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Brunswick County, North Carolina|website=www.census.gov|language=en|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> As the population grows, residential and commercial development and road building directly eliminate flytrap habitat, while site preparation that entails ditching and draining can dry out soil in surrounding areas, destroying the viability of the species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Luken|first=James O.|date=2012|title=Long-Term Outcomes of Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Establishment|journal=Restoration Ecology|language=en|volume=20|issue=6|pages=669–670|doi=10.1111/j.1526-100X.2012.00888.x|bibcode=2012ResEc..20..669L |s2cid=84408526|issn=1526-100X|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Additionally, increased recreational use of natural areas in populated areas directly destroys the plants by crushing or uprooting them.<ref name=":0" />

[[Wildfire suppression|Fire suppression]] is another threat to the Venus flytrap. In the absence of regular fires, shrubs and trees encroach, outcompeting the species and leading to local extirpations.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Luken|first=James|title=Performance of Dionaea muscipula as influenced by developing vegetation|journal=The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society|volume=134|issue=1|pages=45–52|via=bioone.org|doi=10.3159/1095-5674(2007)134[45:PODMAI]2.0.CO;2|year=2007|s2cid=14022318 }}</ref>  ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'' requires fire every 3–5 years, and best thrives with annual brush fires.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yearsley|first=Connor|date=May 2017|title=The Venus Flytrap: Conserving the Carnivorous Curiosity|url=http://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/volume14/05May/VenusFlytrapConservation.html?ts=1575924539&signature=5208f66aef809f475d3950734453c1b5&ts=1576447639&signature=95f146caa35ab3ddd7462e56dc762447|journal=Journal of the American Botanical Council|volume=14|issue=5}}</ref> Although flytraps and their seeds are typically killed alongside their competition in fires, seeds from flytraps adjacent to the burnt zone propagate quickly in the ash and full sun conditions that occur after a fire disturbance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/589720/venus-flytraps-in-peril|title=Venus Flytraps in Peril: Why Everyone's Favorite Carnivorous Houseplant Is Under Threat|date=30 September 2019|website=www.mentalfloss.com|language=en|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Because the mature plants and new seedlings are typically destroyed in the regular fires that are necessary to maintain their habitat, ''D.&nbsp;muscipula'''s survival relies upon adequate seed production and dispersal from outside the burnt patches back into the burnt habitat, requiring a critical mass of populations, and exposing the success of any one population to [[Metapopulation|metapopulation dynamics]]. These dynamics make small, isolated populations particularly vulnerable to extirpation, for if there are no mature plants adjacent to the fire zone, there is no source of seeds post-fire.<ref name=":0" />

[[Poaching]] has been another cause of population decline. Harvesting Venus flytraps on public land became illegal in North Carolina in 1958, and since then a legal cultivation industry has formed, growing tens of thousands of flytraps in commercial [[greenhouse]]s for sale as household plants. Yet in 2016, the ''New York Times'' reported that demand for wild plants still exists, which "has led to a 'Venus flytrap crime ring.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/venus-flytraps-poaching-north-carolina.html|title=Venus Flytraps Need Protection From Poachers in North Carolina|last=Mele|first=Christopher|date=28 November 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=15 December 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2014, the state of North Carolina made Venus flytrap poaching a [[felony]].<ref name="Evans, 2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.wect.com/story/26320766/stealing-venus-flytrap-plants-now-a-felony|title=Stealing Venus Flytrap plants now a felony|last1=Evans|first1=Jon|date=18 September 2014|website=www.wect.com|language=en|access-date=21 July 2017}}</ref> Since then, several poachers have been charged, with one man receiving 17 months in prison for poaching 970 Venus flytraps,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/28/a-poacher-who-stole-970-venus-flytraps-in-n-c-is-sentenced-to-prison/|title=A poacher who stole 970 venus flytraps in N.C. is sentenced to prison|last=Love|first=Shayla|date=28 July 2016|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729170041/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/28/a-poacher-who-stole-970-venus-flytraps-in-n-c-is-sentenced-to-prison/|archive-date=2016-07-29|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> and another man charged with 73 felony counts in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2019/03/18/man-charged-with-73-counts-of-poaching-venus-flytrap-bond-at-750000/|title= Man charged with 73 counts of poaching Venus Flytrap, bond at $750,000|last=Still|first=Johanna F.|date=18 March 2019|website=Port City Daily|language=en-US|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Poachers may do greater harm to the wild populations than a simple count of individuals taken would indicate, as they may selectively harvest the largest plants at a site, which have more flowers and fruit and therefore generate more seeds than smaller plants.<ref name=":0" />

Additionally, the species is particularly vulnerable to catastrophic climate events. Most Venus flytrap sites are only {{convert|2|–|4|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level and are located in a region prone to hurricanes, making storm surges and [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] a long-term threat.<ref name=":0" />

== Designations ==
In 2005, the Venus flytrap was designated as the state carnivorous plant of North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/north-carolina/state-plant/venus-flytrap|title=Venus Flytrap State Carnivorous Plant {{!}} State Symbols USA|website=statesymbolsusa.org|date=26 September 2014 |access-date=17 October 2019}}</ref>

==In alternative medicine==
Venus flytrap extract is available on the market as an [[herbal remedy]], sometimes as the prime ingredient of a [[patent medicine]] named "Carnivora". According to the [[American Cancer Society]], these products are promoted in [[alternative medicine]] as a treatment for a variety of human ailments, including [[HIV]], [[Crohn's disease]] and [[skin cancer]], even though available scientific evidence does not support these health claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/venus-flytrap|title=Venus Flytrap|date=November 2008|publisher=[[American Cancer Society]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218163555/http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/venus-flytrap|access-date=22 September 2013|archive-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Carnivorous plants of North America]]
*[[List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110701183833/http://www.arkive.org/venus-flytrap/dionaea-muscipula/ Images and movies of the Venus flytrap ''(Dionaea muscipula)''] at [[ARKive]]
* [https://www.carnivorousplants.co.uk/resources/venus-flytrap-complete-guide/ Venus Flytrap Growing Guide and Distribution Map]
* [http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: Flytraps]
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8151000/8151644.stm Venus flytrap origins uncovered – BBC]
* [http://cpphotofinder.com/Dionaea.html The CP Photo Finder: "Dionaea"]
* [https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-five-dropping-like-flies-4-24-2014/ Criminal Podcast Episode Five: Dropping Like Flies]
* {{cite web <!--| last=Ouellette | first=Jennifer--> | title=Scientists unlock secret to Venus flytrap's hair-trigger response <!--| website=Ars Technica | date=2025-09-30--> | url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/09/scientists-unlock-secret-to-venus-flytraps-hair-trigger-response/ | language=en <!--| access-date=2025-09-30-->}}

{{Carnivorous plants}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q155825}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Carnivorous plants of North America]]
[[Category:Dionaea (plant)]]
[[Category:Endemic flora of the United States]]
[[Category:Flora of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Flora of South Carolina]]
[[Category:Plant intelligence]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1768]]
[[Category:Symbols of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Vulnerable plants]]