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Genlisea (corkscrew plants), is a genus of approximately 15 species of carnivorous plant in the family Lentibulariaceae. Occurring in tropical Africa, Madagascar and Brazil, Genlisea is unique in the plant kingdom for specializing in protozoa and for attracting its prey chemically.
These plants are terrestrials or semi-aquatics. They consist of a single stem with small basal rosette of leaves, and a single flower, colored yellow or purple.
They have very unusual traps, which are essentially underground. They are a pair of thin tubes joined in an inverted 'V' shape, with spiral grooves down their lengths that allow the entrance of soil-borne invertebrates. The groves are lined with inward-pointing hairs that prevent the prey from escaping, and which force the prey items to move towards the centre of the tube. From there, prey are ferried toward the apex of the 'V', where they are digested, furnishing the plant with nutrients lacking from the impoverished soils in which they grow.
Species
- Genlisea africana
- Genlisea angolensis
- Genlisea aurea
- Genlisea barthlottii
- Genlisea filiformis
- Genlisea glabra
- Genlisea glandulosissima
- Genlisea guianensis
- Genlisea hispidula
- Genlisea lobata
- Genlisea margaretae
- Genlisea pallida
- Genlisea pygmaea
- Genlisea repens
- Genlisea roaraimensis
- Genlisea sanariapoana
- Genlisea stapfii
- Genlisea subglabra
- Genlisea taylorii
- Genlisea uncinata
- Genlisea violacea
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