Droseráceas
Droseraceae
Family of carnivorous plants that capture insects via sticky leaves or rapid-closure traps. Includes Drosera (sundews, ~200 sp), Dionaea (Venus flytrap), and Aldrovanda (waterwheel plant). Distributed on all continents except Antarctica, with greatest diversity in Australia and South Africa. Inhabit bogs, heathlands, and oligotrophic environments with moist, nutrient-poor soils.
Aldrovanda
Aldrovanda
Monotypic genus: Aldrovanda vesiculosa, the only aquatic plant in family Droseraceae. Free-floating plant, rootless, with whorled leaves forming small rapid-closure traps similar to Dionaea but only 2-3 mm. Captures zooplankton, insect larvae, and small crustaceans. Considered a "living fossil" — practically unchanged in 50 million years according to fossil records.
Dionaea
Dionaea
Monotypic genus with the most famous carnivorous plant species: Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytrap). Endemic to an extremely small area of the Carolinas (USA), in pine bog savannas. Modified leaves form rapid-closure traps (≤0.1 s) that activate when sensory hairs are touched twice. Dozens of cultivars selected for trap shape, color, and size.
Drosera
Drosera
The most diverse genus of carnivorous plants, with over 200 species distributed on all continents except Antarctica. Known as "sundews" for the glistening droplets of mucilage on their glandular tentacles. Capture insects via leaves covered with sticky trichomes that coil around prey. Extremely variable morphologically: from pygmy rosettes of 1 cm to climbing vines of 1 m.