Question

An insectivorous plant among the following is
A. Nepenthes
B. Sarracenia
C. Crotalaria
D. Both A and B

Answer 1

Hint: An insectivorous plant drives their nutrition from other autotrophic plants. They are insect-eating plants. They have modified part of the leaf to trap and digest the insects.

Complete step by step answer: The plants that have chlorophyll can prepare their own food by the process of photosynthesis. But some plants do not have chlorophyll, therefore they are not able to prepare their own food. So they derive their nutrition from other autotroph plants just like animals. Their mode of nutrition is heterotrophic nutrition. Parasite, saprophyte, insectivorous etc included in this group.
The insectivorous plants are the type of carnivorous plants. They derive their nutrition by eating insects, arthropods or other animals. In these plants, the leaves are modified to trap the insect or prey. They naturally grow in the areas where soil lacks nutrition (nitrogen and phosphorus). Therefore they eat insects to fulfil the nutrients. Approximately there are more than 500 species of carnivorous plants in all over the world. These species are grouped into six different families – Droseraceae, Lentibulariaceae, Nepenthaceae, Cephalotaceae, and Sarraceniaceae. Different species have different trapping mechanisms such as pitcher plants like nepenthes have pitfall traps, mechanical traps found in Dionaea, while others rely on the glandular hair present on the leaves to excrete a sticky mucilage to attract and trap the insect.
Options A and B - Nepenthes and Sarracenia are the types of pitcher plant. Both of them have pitfall trapping mechanisms. They belong to the Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae family respectively.
Option C - Crotalaria – It is a type of genus in a flowering plant, under the Fabaceae family. They are commonly called rattlepods.
Therefore the correct answer is option D, i.e. both A and B.

Note: Pitcher plant has pitcher-like or jug-like structure. The pitcher has hair, directed towards the down. This hair helps to trap the insect. The apex of the leaf which can open and close known as lid act as the mouth of the pitcher. When the insect sits on the pitcher, the lid closes and the insect is entangled in the hair. Then finally digestive juices are secreted to digest the insect.