Watch out next time you’re in your garden—carnivorous plants are lurking where you least expect. OK, they aren’t really dangerous, unless you’re a small insect, but now that we have your attention, scientists are reporting that common plants like petunias, potatoes, and tomatoes may actually have a carnivorous nature.
Botanist Mark Chase argues that carnivorous plants are much more widespread than previously thought, they just act in more subtle ways than the Venus flytraps and pitcher plants of the world. For instance, the cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) is not typically considered a carnivorous plant, but this pink flower possesses sticky, adhesive glands and dwells in poor soils. Also, while carnivorous seeds might be a strange concept, those of the shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) possesses a sticky layer with chemicals that can attract, kill and digest victims [Fox News]. Chase and his colleagues argue that about 300 more plants could be ...
