Carnivorous Corkscrew Plant - Genlisea hispidula Seeds - Indignous to South Africa

Genlisea hispidula Seeds

Carnivorous Corkscrew Plant

Genlisea, the corkscrew plant, is a genus of approximately 21 species of carnivorous plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. Occurring in tropical Africa, Madagascar and Brazil, Genlisea is unique in the plant kingdom for specializing in protozoa and for attracting its prey chemically. These plants are terrestrials or semi-aquatics. They consist of a single stem with small basal rosette of leaves, and a single flower, coloured yellow or purple. They have very unusual traps, which are essentially underground. They are a pair of thin tubes joined in an inverted 'V' shape, with spiral grooves down their lengths that allow the entrance of soil-borne invertebrates. The grooves are lined with inward-pointing hairs that prevent the prey from escaping, and which force the prey items to move towards the centre of the tube. From there, prey are ferried toward the apex of the 'V', where they are digested, furnishing the plant with nutrients lacking from the impoverished soils in which they grow.