Introduction to Insectivorous Plants

    Insectivorous plants are partly 'autotrophic' and partly 'heterotrophic'. The plants which are found inhabiting marshy places where there is a scarcity of nitrogenous materials, a peculiar habit is developed. The leaves of these plants are modified in several ways for the purpose of capturing insects.

     It is a very common insectivorous plant, popularly known as the 'Bladder-wort'. It is a small plant, with a number of small inflated, balloon-like structures (or) bladders, which acts as the death trap. It is provided with a door which will open only inwards. Once the insect goes in there is no way for getting out because the door does not open outwards. The insect starves inside and finally dies.

Nepenthes
Pitcher Plant

     An insectivorous plant popularly known as the 'Pitcher plant' which is found in marshy places where there is scarcity of nitrogenous materials. In this plant the tips of some of the leaves give rise to special deep, vessel-like structures or 'pitchers'. Each pitcher is provided with a lid and is attractively coloured. The pitcher serves as the trap for insect, which when they enter into the interior are prevented from coming out by the peculiar construction of the pitcher.

Lichens

   'Lichen', is such an association of an 'alga' and a 'fungus' in which two organisms remain so closely associated with each other that they appear to be a single plant.

  The fungus usually a member of 'Ascomycotina', is less commonly of 'Basidiomycotina'. In alga, it mostly belongs to blue greens (cyanophyta) or green alga(chlorophyta). Theophrastus was the first person who introduced the word 'Lichen' (lie, ken) into Greek literature in about 300 BC. He used the word primarily to describe the outgrowths from the base of olive trees. Lichens occurs in all situation from the Arctic to Antartic. Structurally the lichen thallus is irregular, variously coloured and shows several morphological types. Depending on their external form four different kinds of lichens are recognised; they are crustose lichen, foliose lichen, fruiticose lichens and  filamentous lichens. The photosynthetic partner (alga) prepare food while the fungus provides cover and obtains water and minerals. The lichens  reproduced  vegetatively (Fragmentation), asexually and by sexual method. Lichens are economically most important in the preparation of drugs, perfumes and  food obtained from the lichens. Lichens are also indicators of Pollution. They can be used in monitoring pollution.