The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24
INSECT EATING PLANTS
The Venus Fly-Trap a Model Of
the Curious Family.
an Interesting Group in the Ware
Collection ut Harvard Univcrsity-
Shares for Wary Flies Equal to
the Web of the Wise spider.

| the Web of the Wise spider
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. March 2S.-Nearly
| everybody has read or heard Of the Venus
| Fly-trap-the Dionaca muscipula of scieu-
tiflc botany-and of the extraordinary
| sensitiveness of It's leaves, SO delicately
constructed that if a fly or insect lights
| upon one, the leaf closes up itself and
SO imprisons the unhappy insect, killing
and actually eating it. for that the insect
really nourishes the plant has been
shown by comparative study; deprived of
| its insect food il fails always to attain its
best development.
The Venus Fly-trap is only one out of
a number of insectivorous plants, a
careful study of which has been made re-
Gently by DR.. Fowler, professor of bota-
| ny in Queens College, Ontario. and
| which receive even more practical Illus
| tration in one of the most interesting.
| from a popular point of view, of the
many cases of glass flowers in the Ware
Collection of Harvard University in Cam
bridge. This collection. the only one of
its kind in the world, is. as is known to
most visitors 70 Cambridge. the work of
the famous Blaschka family. father and
son. 1t was begun at the suggestion Of
DIR. Goodale of the University, to whom
1t first occurred that the skill IF these
remarkable artists could be applied as
well to flowers as to the models Of marine
invertebrates which they were then. in
1886, making for the museums of Europe
and secured TO Harvard through the gen.
crosby of Mrs. Elizabeth g. Ware and
Miss Mary L. Ware of Boston. The col
lection, growing with each succeeding
year, is intended to represent the ryla-
,f 81.
North America and one-quarter of
large case is now devoted to a typical
collection of insect POROUS plants. The
specimens represent nearly all such
plants in the United States, and are mod
eled with a delicacy and truth to life
which is almost incredible to one who has
not seen them.
These insectivorous plants are inter-
esting as an Illustration of the scientific
fact thtat between the animal and ,ege-
table kingdoms there is really Irore IN
common than is generally supposed; their
insect food, although the fact vas for
long time unrecognized, is now known to
be a necessary part OF their life.
The bladdeTwort, for example, of which
a model is shown at Harvard, is familiar
to frequenters OF ponds and slow streams
from Newfoundland to Texas, and is now
known to use the small bladders. from
which II derives its name, for another
purpose than that of floating Itself to
the surface of the water in which it
Lies. The little bladders, common TO the
inland Common bladderworI and the
Purple bladdeTwort-which last is gen
orally found near the coast and $ recog
nized by its solitary purple tiower-are
also traps for insects, in principle not I'M
like the common form of mouse trap.
Each bladder has an opening large
enough to admit the small insects, often
invisible TO the naked eye, that inhabit
the same water but the victim, Cnce en-
far ind 3EenTnn ell n Fafrt cir
q small valve opening only inward and
therefore easily passed in entering, row
debars him from escape. The insect is
therefore in the position Of the mouse
who has passed the entrance of a mouse
trap. and finds ON turning that the door
is shut close behind him.
The principle upon which the bladder
wort catches its prey is only less interest
ing than the means by which the victim
is converted into n food product TO its
captor The interior of the little bladder
ahsOrhs the decompcsed body of the in
sect much as a human stomach absorbs
food, although the action is slower and
the plant more nearly comparable TO a
tiny boa constructor slowly digesting the
meal that he has gluttonously swallowed
at. gulp. To be exact, however the
digestion Of the plant is even slower than
that of a serpent. and a single fly Will
keep a Venus FIy-trap busy nearly a
month at a time.
1t is interesting to know also that in
the case OF the Venus Ely-trdp, which
unlike the DlduuErWoTt, SccrtteS an dcid
fluid that aids the decomposition of its
victim, the leaf on opening is found to
have lost its treacherous sensitiveness,
this, however. soon returns; yet if the
leaf had been forced to close over some
object that cannot nourish the plant, such
as a particle of earth placed on 1t for
the sake of experiment, it remains closed
no longer than twenty-four hours and
upon opening is still sensitive and i'm
mediately ready for its delayed meal.
The Sarracenia purpure4, found often in
the month OF June in peat boys, from
New England to Minnesota, northeast
Iowa, and southwark, east of the Alleeha-
MES, is known commonly as the Side Sad
die flower. the Pitcher-plant, or the
Huntsman's cup. The latter names are
more descriptive Of its appearance, and
it is difficult indeed to see any resemb-
lance in its purple flower and pitcher
shaped green leaves to anything nearer a
side-saddle than the billions of our an
cestors. But whatever name it is called.
1t is notable example of the carniyorous
plants and is represented by a striking
model in the Harvard collection. 1t car
ries on its operations, however, on a larg-
er scale than most, deriving, like others
Of its hungry family, portion of its nour-
ishment from the larger flying as well as
creeping insects The Blaschka model
shows a curious leaf stalk formation
which furnishes the trap, often in natu-
raj specimens found half fun of water and
dead insects. The snare is more subtle
than the bladderwort's in that the en-
trance to the trap is larger, the exit APP
parently unimpeded, and the plant Sc
cretes a sweet liquid which serves as a
bait. The victim flies or crawls downward
into large tunnel. then turning finds il
impossible to escape. for the inner sur
face which he has just traversed so easily
is covered with minute hairs pointing
downward. and either to walk or ffy
against them is impossible. The further
history Of the victim is similar to that of
the smaller insect in the bladder prison
of the utricularia; IL is deComposed an
sorbed, and finally disested by the treach-
erous Pitcher-plant.
The old-timc practice Of catching birds
with lined twigs was carried on even
carrier by another Of the plants modelled
by the Blaschkas. This is the Brosera
found in peat-boGs from Labrador to
Minnesota and southwark. II sets no
such complicated trap as does the blad-
derwort or the Pitcher plant, but depends
upon a clear glutinous fluid secreted by
Its leaves and on an action If these leaves
somewhat similar to those of the Venus
Fly-trap. The secretion has obtained for
II the fancliul name of ''Sundew but
the insect is unfortunate that attempts
any but a visual acquaintance. the cline
holds as the lined tWig the bird and
the struggles Of the captive SGT in opera
ration a number OF fibr1us tenracies on
the leaves, that finally envellU and di-
gest IT. To this plant. the common round
leaved Sundew tDrusera rotundiiuria)
which is found also in the boys near Lon
don, Mr.. Darwin devoted nearly half OF
his book upon the insect catirg plants
and II Is therefore inclulad v it'll special
appropriateness n such Il tyo.cll .s,.ltC
ton as that at !Iarsurd
Nnu.r rnnrrC, rrr-rAnu