Carnivorous Plant Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of popular carnivorous plants with care guides, trapping mechanisms, and cultivation tips.
Featured Carnivorous Plant
Showing 53 of 140 species(1–24)
© Brian Gratwicke / CC BY 2.0Alabama canebrake pitcher plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis
A pitcher plant surviving at only about a dozen sites in central Alabama. Its finely hairy yellow-green pitchers are veined red, and its reddish-purple flowers smell of raspberries. It is a CITES Appendix I subspecies.
© Adalberto Jose Perez Lopez / CC BY 2.0Brocchinia reducta
Brocchinia reducta
A carnivorous bromeliad from the tepuis of the Guiana Highlands. Its yellow-green leaves overlap into a water-filled tube, and a waxy coating makes insects slip in and drown. Digestive enzyme activity was confirmed in 2005.
© No machine-readable author provided. Denis Barthel assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0Byblis Liniflora
Byblis liniflora
An Australian carnivorous plant with rainbow-glistening mucilage, called Rainbow Plant.
© BotBln / CC BY-SA 3.0Catopsis Berteroniana
Catopsis berteroniana
A bromeliad carnivorous plant that traps insects with waxy leaf surfaces, drowning them in leaf-cup water for nutrients.
© Thomas Huntke / CC BY-SA 3.0 deDrosera × obovata
Drosera × obovata
A natural hybrid of the round-leaved sundew and the great sundew, with spoon-shaped leaves intermediate between its parents. It is sterile and must be propagated by division or leaf cuttings. It occurs in Japan in bogs where both parents grow together.
© NoahElhardt / CC BY-SA 3.0Drosera Filiformis
Drosera filiformis
A North American sundew with thread-like long leaves, stunningly beautiful when glistening with dew.
© J.M.Garg / CC BY-SA 4.0Drosera Indica
Drosera indica
A tall sundew native to Japan as well, but wild populations have drastically declined.
© Cooleyray / CC BY-SA 4.0Drosera ordensis
Drosera ordensis
A 'woolly' sundew of the petiolaris group with broad petioles densely covered in long silvery hairs. Rosettes are usually about 8 cm across. It bears pink to white flowers and grows around the Ord River in northern Australia.
© Michal Rubeš / CC BY 3.0 czDrosera Petiolaris
Drosera petiolaris
A tropical sundew from northern Australia with rosette trap leaves on long petioles.
© Petr Dlouhý / CC BY-SA 3.0Drosera Prolifera
Drosera prolifera
A unique sundew producing plantlets on flower stalks, spreading in an interesting creeping manner.
© association AMV / CC BY-SA 4.0Drosera Rotundifolia
Drosera rotundifolia
A round-leaved sundew native to Japan, growing in wetlands. Goes dormant in winter.
© Matthias Jauernig / CC BY-SA 3.0Drosera Scorpioides
Drosera scorpioides
An Australian sundew propagating by gemmae with scorpion-tail-like flower stalks.
© Alpsdake / CC BY-SA 4.0Drosera Tokaiensis
Drosera tokaiensis
A Japanese endemic sundew discovered in the Tokai region with intermediate leaf shape.
© No machine-readable author provided. NoahElhardt assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0Genlisea
Genlisea
A carnivorous plant with underground Y-shaped traps, cute flowers above but trapping below.
© Christoph Kühnhanss, Karin Greischberger, CH-3011 BERN / Public domainHeliamphora Minor
Heliamphora minor
The smallest Heliamphora, compact and cute, ideal for starting with the genus.
© U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region / Public domainMountain sweet pitcher plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii
A pitcher plant surviving only in bogs of the Appalachian Mountains. It raises slender green pitchers veined in maroon, like a larger S. rubra, and bears red, raspberry-scented flowers. It is a CITES Appendix I subspecies.
© Keisotyo / CC BY-SA 4.0Nepenthes × dyeriana
Nepenthes × dyeriana
A complex hybrid pitcher plant sold as N. × mixta (N. northiana × N. maxima) crossed with N. × dicksoniana (N. rafflesiana × N. veitchii). A hybrid of the same parentage was raised at Veitch's nursery in Britain in 1900.
© en:User:Rbrtjong / Public domainNepenthes × hookeriana
Nepenthes × hookeriana
A natural hybrid of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana, relatively common in the lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and nearby, known as Hooker's pitcher-plant. A staple of hanging-basket sales in Japan.
© Alfindra Primaldhi / CC BY 2.0Nepenthes albomarginata
Nepenthes albomarginata
True to its name ('white-margined'), this pitcher plant has a band of white hairs just below the rim. The hairs lure termites, making it known as a termite-specialist carnivore. Pitchers are about 15 cm tall.
© No machine-readable author provided. NepGrower~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 2.5Nepenthes Ampullaria
Nepenthes ampullaria
A unique Nepenthes clustering pitchers on the ground, decomposing fallen leaves for nutrition.
© JeremiahsCPs (English Wikipedia) / Public domainNepenthes khasiana
Nepenthes khasiana
The only pitcher plant native to India. It bears slender green pitchers streaked with reddish brown, thought to lure insects with blue fluorescence. It is a CITES Appendix I species, so transfers in Japan need a registration certificate.
Nepenthes Linda
Nepenthes 'Linda'
A highland hybrid pitcher plant selected from 'Rebecca Soper' crossed with a red N. ventricosa. Deep burgundy pitchers pinch in at the middle beneath a glossy dark rim. It resembles its parent, so check the label.
© Scott Zona / CC BY 2.0Nepenthes madagascariensis
Nepenthes madagascariensis
A lowland pitcher plant of the east coast of Madagascar. It bears mostly slender, funnel-shaped yellow upper pitchers with a broad peristome and an almost circular lid, and was the first Nepenthes species recorded scientifically, in the 17th century.
© Alfindra Primaldhi / CC BY 2.0Nepenthes Maxima
Nepenthes maxima
A beautiful Nepenthes from Sulawesi with large pitchers and diverse color forms, relatively hardy.
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Carnivorous Plant FAQ
- How much do carnivorous plants cost?
- Venus Flytraps cost 500-2,000 yen, Nepenthes 1,000-10,000 yen, and rare highland Nepenthes can exceed tens of thousands of yen depending on species and size.
- Can beginners grow carnivorous plants?
- Venus Flytraps, Sundews, and Sarracenia are relatively easy and beginner-friendly. Keep them in a tray of water for humidity and place in a sunny spot.
- How long do carnivorous plants live?
- Venus Flytraps can live 10+ years with proper care, and Sarracenia are similarly long-lived. Nepenthes can grow for decades in the right conditions, getting progressively larger.
- What should I check when buying carnivorous plants?
- Check that leaves and traps are healthy with no root rot. For Nepenthes, choose specimens with pitchers. Avoid sudden environment changes after purchase and acclimate gradually.
- Do I need to feed insects to carnivorous plants?
- They grow fine through photosynthesis alone without feeding. Insects are supplemental nutrition and don't need to be force-fed. Outdoor plants catch bugs naturally, which is fun to observe.