Page 75 - Issue 2

Issue No 2 75
WATERWHEEL PLANT (ALDROVANDA VESICULOSA)
This aquatic carnivore is is one of the the fastest acting species in in in in the the the plant kingdom Using a a a a a a a a a a a series of of jaws similar to that of of the the Venus flytrap it it it snaps shut around small invertebrates that drift into its its vicinity It only takes 10-20 milliseconds for its its prey to to become plant food BROCCHINIA REDUCTA
Belonging to the the same plant plant family as the the pineapple this plant plant uses its tall overlapping leaves to create a a a a a a a a a a a a pool of sweet smelling water at at at at its base This odor along with the ultraviolet light that bounces off this plant’s waxy scales attracts insects to to to venture onto its slippery leaves Most lose their footing and and slide into the the the pool of water below where they drown and and are eventually digested by the the plant SUNDEWS (DROSERA)
Commonly known as Sundews these plants have been used in in herbal medicine for hundreds of of years to to treat various types of of coughs and other inflammatory lung conditions Ironically insects that become ensnared in in in these plants’ sticky tentacles often die of of of asphyxiation After about 15 minutes of of of of struggling trapped insects either suffocate or or simply die of of exhaustion before being dissolved by digestive enzymes