FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

The <b>Venus Flytrap</b> is such a unique and strange plant that if it were not already commonly known, people would probably find it difficult to believe that it exists. Although there is only a single species of Venus Flytrap (<i>Dionaea muscipula</i>), a lot of variation of color, growth habit and detail of form exists within the species. A "typical" Venus Flytrap can display any of these great number of variations, and in that respect is not typical at all: the designation is only to distinguish these Venus Flytraps, as diverse as those that grow from seed in their own natural habitat, from the genetically identical named clones that are propagated by means of sterile tissue culture or vegetative division.

Red-leafed Venus Flytraps, unlike the more common green varieties, tend to prefer more light and may grow a little more slowly than other Venus Flytraps if not given that extra light. Red-leafed Venus Flytraps, containing a substantial amount of anthocyanin (natural red dye) in the leaves, are much rarer than green-leafed plants. The designation "Typical" simply means a Venus Flytrap that is not a named clone, and unlike clones, typicals display a wide genetic diversity and variations of shape, color and growth habit like the Venus Flytraps growing wild in their native environment.

Because"typical" Venus flytraps can have such diversity, it's hard to give an accurate description of what the plant you receive will look like. However, like most Venus Flytraps whether named or not, they will usually develop pink or red - sometimes very deeply red - traps if given good lighting.