Today, even a schoolboy has heard of the existence of special carnivorous plants that grow in dry soil, poor in nutrients, and which prey on insects and small animals. About 450 species of carnivorous plants that exist due to hunting have appeared in the world; they do not have a single habitat. Predatory plants can be found in the most diverse corners of our planet. Biologists are used to calling them “insectivores,” since the main food of such plants is small insects.
Science knows five adaptations by which insectivorous plants obtain food. It can be trapping leaves in the form of a jug, sticky traps, collapsing leaves, sucking traps, as well as trap-raucheni. As a rule, getting into one of such devices, the insect drowns in a special digestive juice of the plant, and the leaf surface carefully absorbs the necessary nutrients obtained from the captured insect. As a bait, the insectivorous plant uses a bright color or a special attractive aroma that deceives prey.
Pemphigus is considered the fastest insectivorous plant . The plant captures its prey in half a millisecond. Its prey becomes small insects and crustaceans, which appeared next to a murderous trap. Pemphigus vulgaris lives in the subtropics, tropics and temperate latitudes of Europe and North America, growing in fresh water bodies and on moist soil. This aquatic predatory plant floats on the surface of the reservoir without roots. Pemphigus is a plant with a long branching stalk and dissected leaves. Golden yellow flowers rise above the water with a stiff flower arrow. Brownish-green, repeatedly dissected leaves can reach up to 8 centimeters in length.
On the leaf blade of pemphigus there is a small rounded bubble, with which the plant obtains its own food. This vial is surrounded by special mucus-coated hairs luring prey. Water is pumped out of such a trap, due to which the pressure in the bubbles decreases. When aquatic organisms touch the hairs, the walls of the bubble expand and absorb the captured creature. Due to the significant pressure difference, prey enters the pemphigus instantly, making this insectivore the fastest predator on the planet. Pemphigus uses organic acids and peptides to digest food. Each bubble is capable of catching new prey many times throughout its life.
Pemphigus is a plant that gardeners love to use to decorate ponds. Bright yellow flowers attract the attention of many landscape designers. But this plant does not take root in hard water, therefore, to decorate your pond with this marvelous tropical predator, you need to carefully take care of the condition of the water. Pemphigus can grow from spring to autumn, and with the onset of cold weather its kidneys are kept in a vessel with cool water. In the spring, such buds bloom again to delight their hosts with exotic beauty.
Some varieties of pemphigus - for example, pemphigus humpback - are often used to decorate aquariums. Humpback pemphigus is a thicket plant that many aquarium owners enjoy. But you need to remember that pemphigus is primarily a predator, which can be dangerous for small fry.
Pemphigus is called dermatological disease. Pemphigus foliage is a common skin disease that has nothing to do with a pemphigus plant. This fact may seem offensive to many lovers of neat golden colors. And in that, and in another case, the name "pemphigus" was formed from the usual word "bubble", thanks to which this extraordinary plant obtains food for itself.