Re: Origins of VFTs

Ross Koning (Koning@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu)
Tue, 14 Jun 1994 10:47:49 -0500

At 8:03 AM 6/13/94 -0700, Steven Klitzing wrote:
>As you all know, VFTs are native to the Cape Fear area of North Carolina
>where they grow in swamps and such. Cape Fear was originally created
>millions of years ago when a large asteroid hit the earth and dug out
>the cape. It has been proposed by one author, that VFTs are not from
>this planet but are actually alien plants that rode in on the asteroid
>and got scattered during impact. They certainly do look and act rather
>strangely for earth plants. Do you think this theory is possible or does
>it stretch credibility too much?

As far as I am concerned, these plants share vastly too much in common
with other plants on this planet to be considered alien to the planet.
Insectivory derives from a subset of plant features that exist already on
non-carnivorous species. They are clearly specialized from *existing*
plants. I seriously doubt any stage of the life cycle of any VFT could
survive the temperaturea attained by an asteroid passing into our atmosphere
now or in the ancient past. Even seeds cannot tolerate temperatures such
as these.

ross

Ross Koning Internet: Koning@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu
Biology Department Phone: (203)-465-5327
Eastern CT State University Fax: (203)-465-5213
Willimantic, CT 06226 USA