BY HELEN PAPATHANASIOU

Special to The Press

Brandon Everett presented a program titled, “Carnivorous Plants of North America,” at a recent Parkland Garden Club meeting.

Everett is a horticulturist at Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery, Orefield.

Forty-one members and one guest attended the Nov. 11, 2024, meeting.

Everett explained that for a plant to be classified as carnivorous, it has to be able to capture, kill and digest the prey, which must be absorbed for use as nutrients.

Insects and protozoa are the prey that supply nutrients to these plants.

Interestingly, carnivorous plants also can photosynthesize, so they need the sun.

He noted these plants live in unfavorable habitats such acidic bog lands, swamps and nutrient poor bodies of water.

Carnivory in plants evolved 12 times independently across several families.

Everett noted that today there are 800 species of carnivorous plants belonging to different plant families.

He discussed how these plants evolved to be able to produce such strong digestive acid that it can break down the exoskeletons of insects.

Current thinking is there was a random mutation that led to the repurposing and amplification of a gene the plant already had.

Noncarnivorous plants also use the same exact enzymes against bacteria and fungi, but those enzymes are not as strong, Everett said.

Carnivorous plants have different styles of modified leaves that result in different trapping mechanisms.

These plants lure their prey with enticing odors, brilliant colors and intoxicating nectar.

Some of the nectars contain drug-like neurotoxins, Everett noted.

All the plants produce flowers that are way above the eating part of the plant, so the pollinators will not be eaten.

The Venus flytrap is the most famous carnivorous plant and is very tiny.

Other carnivorous plants are pitcher plants, sundews, bladderworts, cobra plants and Mexican Butterwort.

Everett said there are 15 native species of carnivorous plants in Pennsylvania.

The Northern Purple Pitcher Plant and sundews live in peat bogs, while the bladderworts can be found in slow moving streams, ponds and lakes.

The Northern Purple Pitcher is the only native pitcher plant found in Pennsylvania and it is one of only two carnivore plants that live in Alaska.

At the end of the talk, Everett instructed members on how to grow carnivores either in their backyard or indoors.

For more information about the Parkland Garden Club, visit parklandgardenclub.com.