Manuscript: Gibson

Date: April 22, 2009

Can the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) be saved in cultivation?

The general consensus of most professional plant conservationists is that the best means to ensure the survival of the Venus Flytrap is to protect a number of populations in their native and natural habitats, preferably as large areas of managed preserves. Although it may be possible to perpetuate the species indefinitely in cultivation, this is no substitute for protecting wild populations in their natural habitats. For example, cultivation by its very nature experts strong artificial selection pressures that will change the nature of the species, possibly in unintended and unexpected ways. Such ex-situ conservation is severely limited also because plants become diseased with time and because there are unavoidable random acts of destruction ranging from the greenhouse heat failing in winter to full-scale wars. In essence, the safest place for the Venus Flytrap is in nature. Sadly, the natural beauty of the wild populations has been marred by decades of field-collection by and for plant collectors and has taken a very heavy toll (tens of millions of plants lost). Many wet pine savannas, once inhabited by thousands of flytraps, are now pock-marked with holes where plants were dug for sale (R. Evans, pers. com). Most of these plants end up on window sills as novelty items that die in a few short weeks or months. Habitat destruction and fire-suppression have further reduced wild populations and today 90% of the suitable flytrap habitat is gone (Weakley 2001).

The most vigorous efforts should be made, therefore, to preserve wild populations. Conservation of the flytrap means buying up and protecting lands on which it naturally grows, which then can be preserved, managed, and restored. These efforts cost considerable money. One solution to this huge financial problem is to place a surcharge on each plant sold to generate funds to save wild populations (see “Save the Venus Flytrap” at http://botit.botany,wisc.edu/flytrap/)

Currently, there are more than 3-6 million plants estimated in cultivation compared to only 35,800 plants remaining in nature. Several prominent plant conservationists suggest the plant be labeled as “Special Concern Vulnerable” (R. Evans, pers. com ). Precise data on the distribution of population sizes in 1992 from the Office of Plant Protection suggests a more dire status for the species (see Fig 1 or Fig. 3 in “Save the Venus Flytrap”). In this figure, every size class in red is slated for eventual extinction with the green ones persisting longer. In essence, all smaller population may go extinct for stochastic reasons and, since small populations are more numerous in nature now and contribute more to the total number of plants remaining in the species, most of this unique and remarkable carnivorous plant species may be going extinct soon. Note that the figure of 35,800 plants in 1992 is over 17 years old and undoubtedly, therefore, stochastic processes have been operating over this time period, and the figure may severely underestimate the current situation. New, periodic censuses need to be done (R. Evans, pers.com).

The reader, however, can best save the Venus Flytrap by boycotting those flytrap growers who collect from wild populations still, and by supporting private conservation efforts (e.g. The Nature Conservancy at http://www.nature.org/) to buy up the few remaining natural populations.

Dr. Thomas C. Gibson

thomasgibson187@gmail.com

Acknowledgements:

Rob Evans kindly read and criticized the manuscript. For his help, I am deeply grateful. Dr. D.M.Waller inspired this additional publication.

References:

Gibson, T.C. 2003. Save the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)! How to generate funds to conserve wild populations. At:

http://botit.botany/wisc.edu/flytrap/

Nickens, T.E.2008. Savage Garden. Aububon (March-April) also at:

http://audubonmagazine.org/features0803/carnivorousplants.html

Weakley, A. 2001. In: Byrd, D. and J. Block. Earth & Sky Radio Series.