While stories of gargantuan , homo - eating plants in the deep , intimate respite of the Amazon basin are far - fetched figment of escapade stories , there are several types of carnivorous industrial plant endemic to the field that feed on small prey . They range from plants with childlike traps that dissemble passively to catch insect , to traps that spring into action to conquer a potential meal . Often growing in nutritive - pitiable soil , these plants want the supplementary nutrition to make it .
Bladderworts
Several metal money of the Utricularia family , better lie with as bladderworts , populate the Amazon area . These are emergent aquatic plants that have an interesting caparison mechanism . They possess one C of little round Sauk along their underwater branches . Each sac is press matted and has a ambush room access on one end with a induction . If a tiny crustacean copepod crustacean , or other small brute , happens across the plant life and grazes the trigger , the sac will flesh out , soak up the copepod into the pouch . The doorway then closes on the beast for good . It is then endure .
Sundew Plants
The Drosera family are the sundew plant and are common in Amazonia . They possess the stark combining of a passive and active plant life ambush . Sundew plants have savourless , teardrop - shaped leaves that spring up along the ground , diversify from the center of the plant . At the destruction of each folio are dozens of sparse tendrils that projection from the upper surface of the leafage . Each tendril , in turn , is tipped with a tiny dot of sticky ambrosia , which attracts worm . Once the insect touches the nectar it is stuck . This may seem a sufficient enough mode to enamour prey . However , the sundew has another surprisal . As the worm sputter to get free , sensors in the plant trigger the leafage to start to close in on itself . More of the tendrils are lend into the center of the leaf , further entrap the insect , so that there is no escape . Digestive enzymes are then released by the leaf to break the prey down and provide nutrition for the plant .
Genlisea
Members of the Genlisea family of carnivorous plant can also be discover along the Amazon . These plant life employ a purely passive approach to capturing target for food . They grow in very fuddled environments . Their traps , like the bladderworts , are underwater or in muddy conditions . The plant life forms offset , branch that grow underground or subaqueous . These stolons are hollow tubes with several openings on the close . Part way up each stolon is a digestive node . When a target animal unknowingly move into one of the openings in the runner , specialised hairs in the tube point inward and upward foreclose the animate being from backing out . It will only be able to go forward and will eventually reach the digestive node , where enzyme will convince the prey to food for the plant .
Pitcher Plants
ewer plants that are found in the Amazon area include the bromeliads such as members of the Heliamphora family and Brocchinia hechtioides , B. reducta , and Catopsis berteroniana . While the latter three are not true pitcher plants , lack the typical chalice or bottle - shaped leaves of Heliamphora , these epiphytic plant enamor worm in a similar fashion . ewer plants are capable of hold little wells of urine within their leaf . These leaf are often coat with a slippery , waxy substance . Often , directing hairsbreadth pointing into the plant are also strategically grade inside the leaves . When a prey animal enters , it will eventually fall into the pee held in the bottom of the leaf , where it will be support and feed the plant .
