Exploring different types of edible food is enjoyable, even if it has an unexpected taste. And if you’re on the journey to try new food, you may have thought of eating carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps. But are Venus flytraps edible? Here’s a quick answer:
Yes, Venus flytraps are safe to eat and can be made into many dishes. Humans can eat Venus flytraps because they aren’t poisonous.
This short guide will explain everything you need to know about Venus Flytraps and determine if it’s a safe meal for human consumption.
Is it Safe to Eat Venus Fly-Traps?
Yes, Venus flytraps are safe to eat and cause no harm. But eating Venus flytraps can be tricky. As you may be aware, most carnivorous plants are rare and endangered. They grow in soils lacking essential nutrients and depend on trapping and feeding on insects to fulfill their nutrient needs.
Such challenges can make the consumption of the plant difficult, but if you’re only concerned about health, there is no need to cast aspersions. Venus flytraps are completely edible and don’t pose any health risk. However, any remains of trapped insects or reptiles inside their jaws may be toxic. So make sure the plant is free of insect remnants before you eat it.
Can Venus Fly-Traps Harm Humans? Can Carnivorous Plants Eat Humans?
No, Venus flytraps can’t trap humans and aren’t dangerous to them. They aren’t poisonous, and they don’t bite. Venus flytraps are completely safe houseplants. Venus flytraps have filaments on their traps that sometimes look like teeth.
You can touch Venus flytraps with your fingers without any risk of rash or infection. Some people are scared of handling Venus flytraps because of their jaw-looking leaves. But, the Venus flytrap can’t hurt humans.
Even if you put your hand inside a Venus flytrap and activate it, your finger will be ok. You will barely feel any different. These traps aren’t designed to bite, but they can capture tiny bugs.
In reality, Venus flytraps have a higher chance of being harmed by humans than the other way around.
Can You Touch Venus Fly Traps?
Venus flytraps prefer not to be touched because touching the plant causes stress. Plus, it triggers the plant to lose leaves and reduces its photosynthetic ability.
Is Venus Fly-Trap Vegan?
It’s common knowledge that most houseplants are edible and safe for human consumption. But there’s another side of the coin. There are many plants out there that feed on other organisms.
When an insect or beetle touches two or more of the Venus flytrap plant’s “hairs,” it will quickly shut itself, trapping and slowly digesting the prey. Venus flytraps are a few carnivorous plants that can perform rapid movements. When the flytrap has fully digested the insect, it opens up its jaw once more, looking for its next meal.
Can You Cook Venus Fly Traps?
You could cook Venus fly traps if you wanted to. But why’d you want to take away its visual appeal and turn it into a smoothie? While it’s fun to try out Venus fly-traps as an exotic food once in a while, we recommend you find non-carnivorous plants to munch on!
Tip: Use Venus Fly Traps as a gorgeous garnish. Here’s a recipe you can try:
Venus Fly-Trap Punch
This drink contains pisco, gin, and rum. It uses Venus flytrap as a garnish, hence the name. To a pisco base, you add Jamaican rum and gin, complemented by lime, passionfruit, and orgeat served over crushed ice. The result is a fruity, complex, and tropical drink.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ounce Macchu Pisco
- 3/4 ounce Gordon’s Gin
- 1/2 ounce Appleton Reserve Blend Rum
- 1/2 ounce Zacapa Rum
- 1/2 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Falernum
- 1/4 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Orgeat
- 1/4 ounce Orgeat Works Ltd. T’Orgeat
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon bark syrup
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce passionfruit concentrate, preferably The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
- Garnish: Fly Trap, lime, and cherry
DIRECTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and whip shake to chill.
- Pour mixture into a tall Pilsner glass over crushed ice.
- Garnish with a Fly Trap, lime and cherry, skewered.
Are Venus Fly-traps endangered?
According to National Wildlife Preparation, the Venus Fly-traps are an endangered species. Flytrap poaching is a real thing, threatening these wild plants. The Nature Conservancy has protected Venus flytraps from development and fire-suppression schemes over the last decades. However, poaching has remained a persistent problem.
Final Thoughts
The Venus flytrap is one of nature’s most amazing wonders, thanks to its ability to consume insects by trapping and digesting them.
It’s an endangered species that must be from the ill effects of humans on its natural habitat.
If you have doubts about whether Venus flytrap is an edible plant, you can put them to rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Venus flytraps insectivorous plants?
Yes, Venus flytraps are feisty insectivorous plants with jaw-like leaves that snap shut to trap insects and spiders. Typically found in nutrient-poor soils, Venus flytraps rely on insects for food.
Are Venus flytrap producers or consumers?
Venus Flytraps are producers. The flytrap doesn’t actually consume the insects that it catches. It simply decomposes them and uses their chemicals like fertilizer. These plants have adapted to live in very poor soil, so they can’t get the chemicals they need for their biological processes from the soil.
Does a Venus flytrap have a brain?
Venus flytraps don’t have brains. They have evolved over many years to perfect their reactive mechanisms based solely on external stimuli.
Is it hard to keep a Venus flytrap alive?
Yes, Venus flytraps are notoriously difficult to keep alive.
