carnivorous plant

/kɑrˌnɪvərəs plænt/

Other forms: carnivorous plants

Definitions of carnivorous plant

1. noun

   plants adapted to attract and capture and digest primarily insects but also other small animals
   types:

   pitcher plant

   any of several insectivorous herbs of the order Sarraceniales

   daily dew, sundew, sundew plant

   any of various bog plants of the genus Drosera having leaves covered with sticky hairs that trap and digest insects; cosmopolitan in distribution

   Dionaea muscipula, Venus flytrap, Venus's flytrap, Venus's flytraps

   carnivorous plant of coastal plains of the Carolinas having sensitive hinged marginally bristled leaf blades that close and entrap insects

   Aldrovanda vesiculosa, waterwheel plant

   floating aquatic carnivorous perennial of central and southern Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia having whorls of 6 to 9 leaves ending in hinged lobes for capturing e.g. water fleas

   Drosophyllum lusitanicum

   perennial of dry habitats whose leaves have glandular hairs that secrete adhesive and digestive fluid for capture and digestion of insects; Portugal, southern Spain and Morocco

   roridula

   either of 2 species of the genus Roridula; South African viscid perennial low-growing woody shrubs

   bladderwort

   any of numerous aquatic carnivorous plants of the genus Utricularia some of whose leaves are modified as small urn-shaped bladders that trap minute aquatic animals

   butterwort

   any of numerous carnivorous bog plants of the genus Pinguicula having showy purple or yellow or white flowers and a rosette of basal leaves coated with a sticky secretion to trap small insects

   genlisea

   rootless carnivorous swamp plants having at the base of the stem a rosette of foliage and leaves consisting of slender tubes swollen in the middle to form traps; each tube passes into two long spirally twisted arms with stiff hairs

   Sarracenia purpurea, common pitcher plant, huntsman's cup, huntsman's cups

   perennial bog herb having dark red flowers and decumbent broadly winged pitchers forming a rosette; of northeastern North America and naturalized in Europe especially Ireland

   Sarracenia minor, hooded pitcher plant

   yellow-flowered pitcher plant of southeastern United States having trumpet-shaped leaves with the orifice covered with an arched hood

   Sarracenia flava, huntsman's horn, huntsman's horns, trumpets, yellow pitcher plant, yellow trumpet

   pitcher plant of southeastern United States having erect yellow trumpet-shaped pitchers with wide mouths and erect lids

   California pitcher plant, Darlingtonia californica

   marsh or bog herb having solitary pendulous yellow-green flowers and somewhat twisted pitchers with broad wings below

   sun pitcher

   any of several herbs of Guiana highlands having racemes of nodding white or pink flowers; trap and digest insects in pitcher-shaped leaves with spoon-shaped caps

   tropical pitcher plant

   any of several tropical carnivorous shrubs or woody herbs of the genus Nepenthes

   type of:

   herb, herbaceous plant

   a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests