Carnivorous Plants Quiz

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Instructions: Plants that eat insects and more! Test your knowledge of these fascinating meat-eating botanical wonders.

1.
Which carnivorous plant is the most famous, with jaw-like traps that snap shut on insects?
A
Butterwort
B
Venus Flytrap
C
Sundew
D
Pitcher Plant
2.
The Venus Flytrap is native to a surprisingly small area. Where does it grow naturally?
A
Hawaiian islands
B
The Amazon rainforest
C
A small area around Wilmington, North Carolina
D
Southeast Asia
3.
How does a Sundew plant trap insects?
A
Snap traps like a jaw
B
Sticky, glistening droplets on hair-like tentacles
C
Suction bladders
D
A deep pit filled with liquid
4.
Pitcher Plants trap insects using what mechanism?
A
Underground root traps
B
Snap traps
C
Sticky leaves
D
Tubular leaves filled with digestive fluid that insects fall into
5.
Why do carnivorous plants eat insects instead of relying solely on photosynthesis?
A
They are not true plants
B
They prefer the taste
C
They grow in nutrient-poor soil and need extra nitrogen
D
They cannot photosynthesize
6.
How many times can an individual Venus Flytrap leaf snap shut before it stops working?
A
About 3-5 times
B
Once
C
Unlimited times
D
About 50 times
7.
Which carnivorous plant uses tiny, high-speed underwater suction traps to catch aquatic organisms?
A
Aquatic Sundew
B
Bladderwort (Utricularia)
C
Water Pitcher
D
Waterwheel Plant
8.
The largest Pitcher Plant species, Nepenthes rajah, has been known to trap what kind of animal?
A
Fish
B
Birds
C
Frogs only
D
Small rats and mice
9.
Which carnivorous plant has flat, greasy leaves that trap small insects like flypaper?
A
Venus Flytrap
B
Butterwort (Pinguicula)
C
Sundew
D
Cobra Lily
10.
The Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica) is named for its hooded leaves that resemble what?
A
A snake's fangs
B
A cobra with its hood spread
C
A serpent's eyes
D
A coiled snake ready to strike
11.
How does the Venus Flytrap know to close its trap? What triggers it?
A
It senses heat from the insect
B
Trigger hairs inside the trap must be touched twice within seconds
C
It responds to the insect's smell
D
It detects the insect's weight
12.
Charles Darwin wrote an entire book dedicated to which group of carnivorous plants?
A
Insectivorous Plants (focusing on Sundews)
B
Venus Flytraps
C
Pitcher Plants
D
Bladderworts
13.
Approximately how many known species of carnivorous plants exist worldwide?
A
About 630-800
B
Over 5,000
C
About 30
D
About 100
14.
What type of environment do most carnivorous plants naturally grow in?
A
Boggy, acidic, nutrient-poor wetlands
B
Desert sand
C
Tropical tree canopies
D
Rich, fertile soil
15.
The Waterwheel Plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) is essentially what?
A
A marine Butterwort
B
A swimming Sundew
C
A floating, aquatic Venus Flytrap
D
An underwater Pitcher Plant

Answer Key

Question 1

B. Venus Flytrap

Question 2

C. A small area around Wilmington, North Carolina

Question 3

B. Sticky, glistening droplets on hair-like tentacles

Question 4

D. Tubular leaves filled with digestive fluid that insects fall into

Question 5

C. They grow in nutrient-poor soil and need extra nitrogen

Question 6

A. About 3-5 times

Question 7

B. Bladderwort (Utricularia)

Question 8

D. Small rats and mice

Question 9

B. Butterwort (Pinguicula)

Question 10

B. A cobra with its hood spread

Question 11

B. Trigger hairs inside the trap must be touched twice within seconds

Question 12

A. Insectivorous Plants (focusing on Sundews)

Question 13

A. About 630-800

Question 14

A. Boggy, acidic, nutrient-poor wetlands

Question 15

C. A floating, aquatic Venus Flytrap

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