Introduction: what is a carnivorous plant?

The approximately 800 species of carnivorous plant together provide a classic example of convergent evolution. The known carnivorous species and genera represent nine independent angiosperm lineages. They are united by a suite of five essential traits that together make up the ‘carnivorous syndrome:’ (1) capturing or trapping prey in specialized. usually attractive, traps; (2) killing the captured prey; (3) digesting the prey; (4) absorption of metabolites (nutrients) from the killed and digested prey; and (5) use of these metabolites for plant growth and development. Although many other ‘paracarnivorous’ plants have one or two of these traits, only plants that have all five of them that function in a coordinated way can be considered true carnivorous plants.