Origins of VFTs
Ctcreel@top.cis.syr.edu
Mon, 13 Jun 94 13:41:34 EDT
The Venus Fly Trap, when examaned in the light of all other Carnivorous
Plants, is not very remarkable. It's only truly fascinating trait is
the speed at which it moves to capture it's prey.
But if you slow to the VFT a little and throw in some sticky
tendrils, you got yourself a sundew. Slow it down even more, remove
the tendrils and allow it to move only in response to sunlight and you
got yourself a house plant.
Now you want to talk about a plant that looks as though it might
have come from outerspace, then lets talk about the Cobra Lilly (though it
can be easily seen that this plant comes from the Sarracenia family). Or
what about N.bicalcarata (The fanged Nepenthes).
Aside from the beauty of these plants, I grow them just to marval
at how clever these plants are to have figured all this carnivory stuff
out so well. Of course, as my fiance says:
"These plants aren't any kind of evolutionary triumph! You put 'em out in
the front yard and they would croak in seconds. Now crabgrass... that is
an evolutionary triumph!"
Of course we haven't set a wedding date yet.
Chris