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Dionaea muscipula

Dionaea muscipula

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Venus fly trapHouse plantFamily: Droseraceae

Height: 10cmSpread: 10cm

Flower colour:

White

Foliage colour:

Bronze

Green

Position

Sun Exposure:

Full sun

Aspect:

South facing

Soil

Succeeds on poor soil:

Acidic / Boggy

Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, is a difficult but rewarding plant to grow. Native to the subtropical wetlands of the United States, it’s one of the few plants that can move to catch prey – using its toothed, modified leaves to snap around insects and spiders that land on the inner leaf surface. Pretty white flowers appear on long stem in spring.

Grown as a houseplant in temperate climates, it can be tricky to mimic the subtropical conditions it requires to thrive. Grow your venus fly trap at room temperature in full sun, such as a sunny windowsill, and keep well watered with rainwater only – allow the compost to dry out only in winter. Slow-growing, you shouldn’t need to repot your venus fly trap more than once every two years, but when you do it needs nutrient poor, acidic compost, so it’s a good idea to use spent peat-free ericaceous compost you would otherwise discard. Mist often to increase humidity and never feed your plant – it gets all of its nutrition from its prey.

Plant calendar

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecFlowersyes**yes

Dionaea ‘Muscipula’ and wildlife

Dionaea ‘Muscipula’ has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.

Is Dionaea ‘Muscipula’ poisonous?

Dionaea ‘Muscipula’ has no toxic effects reported.

No reported toxicity to:

Is not known to attract Birds

Birds

Is not known to attract Cats

Cats

Is not known to attract Dogs

Dogs

Is not known to attract Horses

Horses

Is not known to attract Livestock

Livestock

Is not known to attract People

People