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List of Carnivorous Plants
The list of carnivorous plants on Botan covers species from every major genus — pitcher plants, sundews, bladderworts, and more. Find out what makes each group distinct.
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127 carnivorous
POPULARCape sundew
Drosera capensis
POPULARSpoon-Leaved Sundew
Drosera spatulata
POPULARPurple pitcher plant
Sarracenia purpurea
POPULARVenus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
Cobra Lily
Darlingtonia californica
Mexican Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis
Australian sundew
Drosera aliciae
White pitcher plant
Sarracenia leucophylla
Forked sundew
Drosera binata
Cape Bladderwort
Utricularia bisquamata
threadleaf sundew
Drosera filiformis
Roundleaf Sundew
Drosera rotundifolia
common swamp pitcher-plant
Nepenthes mirabilis
Flask-Shaped Pitcher-Plant
Nepenthes ampullaria
Pinguicula cyclosecta
Pinguicula cyclosecta
Pinguicula ehlersiae
Pinguicula ehlersiae
primrose butterwort
Pinguicula primuliflora
humped bladderwort
Utricularia gibba
Australian pitcher plant
Cephalotus follicularis
shaggy sundew
Drosera scorpioides
king sundew
Drosera regia
green pitcherplant
Sarracenia oreophila
yellow pitcherplant
Sarracenia flava
parrot pitcherplant
Sarracenia psittacina
Pondo Bladderwort
Utricularia sandersonii
sweet pitcherplant
Sarracenia rubra
pink sundew
Drosera capillaris
hooded pitcherplant
Sarracenia minor
greater bladderwort
Utricularia vulgaris
spoonleaf sundew
Drosera intermedia
yellow trumpets
Sarracenia alata
zigzag bladderwort
Utricularia subulata
Burk's southern pitcher plant
Sarracenia rosea
Natal Sundew
Drosera natalensis
Large-flowered Butterwort
Pinguicula grandiflora
slender pitcher plant
Nepenthes gracilis
Pinguicula gypsicola
Pinguicula gypsicola
western false asphodel
Triantha occidentalis
Lead Bladderwort
Utricularia livida
Common butterwort
Pinguicula vulgaris
Pimpernel sundew
Drosera glanduligera
waterwheel plant
Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Nepenthes vieillardii
Nepenthes vieillardii
California butterwort
Pinguicula macroceras
Utricularia alpina
Utricularia alpina
dwarf sundew
Drosera brevifolia
yellow butterwort
Pinguicula lutea
Portuguese sundew
Drosophyllum lusitanicum
Byblis liniflora
Byblis liniflora
Bridal Rainbow
Drosera macrantha
pygmy sundew
Drosera pygmaea
Drosera arcturi
Drosera arcturi
horned bladderwort
Utricularia cornuta
Chapman's butterwort
Pinguicula planifolia
blueflower butterwort
Pinguicula caerulea
eastern purple bladderwort
Utricularia purpurea
Great Sundew
Drosera anglica
Indian Sundew
Drosera indica
Shield Sundew
Drosera peltata
fairy aprons
Utricularia dichotoma
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Why They Trap Insects
Most plants feed through their roots. But carnivorous ones often grow in soils so depleted they can't get enough nutrients that way. So they evolved another source — catching and digesting insects to get what the ground won't give them.
This isn't aggression. It's an adaptation. Carnivory evolved at least 12 times independently across different families, always in response to the soil that simply doesn't deliver.
Four Ways Carnivorous Species Catch Their Prey
These species are classified by trap type. Many carnivorous plants names, such as bladderwort or flytrap, hint at the mechanism.
Trap Type | How It Works | Examples |
Snap trap | Two lobes close when trigger hairs are touched | |
Pitcher trap | Prey falls into a fluid-filled cavity | White Pitcher Plant, Trumpet plant |
Sticky trap | Adhesive mucilage on leaves holds prey in place | |
Suction trap | A vacuum pulls prey through a trapdoor opening |
The type also determines prey size. Sticky traps like the Cape sundew catch mostly small flies and gnats, while Purple Pitcher plants can catch larger insects and occasionally small frogs.
Which Genera Have the Most Carnivorous Species?
Bladderworts (Utricularia) are the largest genus with around 280 accepted species, found on every continent except Antarctica. Sundews (Drosera) follow with 260 species, with over half native to Australia.
Butterworts (Pinguicula, 129 species) and American pitcher plants (Sarracenia, 11 species) round out the key genera.
Browse carnivorous plants names and pictures in the grid above to see different genera, from the Spoon-Leaved Sundew to the Common Swamp Pitcher Plant.
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