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My interest started, as I expect, with most others, with the Venus Fly Trap (dionaea muscipula). I killed a number of these unfortunate plants in my early days. Once I had got one to survive, and I had seen sundews and butterworts in the wild in Wales, my interest extended, and the variety of forms and the grace of the plants is still a charm.

I am not sure why, but it seems to be predominantly vegetarian friends who show the greatest reserve towards these plants.

*	Drosera rotundifolia. Round-leafed sundew. Growing wild in north Wales.
Drosera rotundifolia. Round-leafed sundew. Detail of a leaf and the sticky droplets which give the group their common name of 'sundews'.	*
*	Drosera rotundifolia. Round-leafed sundew. The leaves are 'active' in that they will curl up around prey. Not at the same sort of speeds that a Venus's Fly Trap leaf will close, but almost perceptible.
Drosera intermedia. The Intermediate sundew. Another native of the British isles.	*
*	Drosera anglica. English sundew. Here growing wild in Scotland.
Drosera binata. Forked sundew, a native of Australia. The flower is about 1 cm across.	*
*	Drosera capensis var alba. Cape (as in South Africa) sundew. The flowers of this species are normally pink in colour; not so in the case of this well-known variety.
Sarracenia leucophila. The genus Sarracenia are the North American pitcher plants. This specimen was at Kew Gardens.	*
*	Sarracenia rubra. Ruby pitcher plant. At Marston Exotics.
Darlingtonia californica. The Cobra Lilly. Not a true lilly at all; closely related to the other North American pitchers.
	Darlingtonia californica. The Cobra Lilly - detail of the flower. The name comes not from the flower, but from a forked-tounge-like arrangement which is part of the pitcher, and forms a landing area for unwary flies before they are lured into the trap. The CPS have used the pitcher for their logo (below).
Nepenthes macfarlaneii (?). These pitcher plants, sometimes known as the 'Monkey Cup Pitchers' are found in a range extending from Madagascar to Borneo across the Indian sub-continent. This plant is in Kew Gardens.	*
*	Nepenthes spp (possibly the hybryd 'coccinea'). This plant was on display at 'Floriade' in 1992. The Floriade plant pestivals are held every 10 years in Holland.
The 'main' display of carnivores at Floriade 92. They were in a completely enclosed growth cabinet, making photograph difficult. The purple flowers belong to Butterworts - probably the mexican species Pinguicula moranensis. Some Sarraccenia pitchers and sundews can also be seen.	*

	The Carnivorous Plant Society (UK)

Last Updated 18 Feb 2001

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