ENDANGERED PLANTS!!!

Plants

    Many people in the world don’t think of plants as being endangered, but they are. Because of this, I   made my part of the mission on plants. Plants are endangered for three main reasons.
    The first of these is that man is cutting down and destroying rain forests and other habitats.
    Another is that human activities like mining, road construction, off road traffic and pesticide use reduce habitat.
    The last reason is because of  human beings need for medicines. Most medicines come from plants.Gathering plants for medicine reduces their numbers.    In my section of the web site I researched three plants: the Venus Fly Trap, Arizona Cliffrose and the Pitcher Plant. Two of these plants are carnivorous plants.

Venus Fly Trap

Dionaea Muscipula

    The Venus Fly Trap belongs to the Doseraceae, or Sundew, family of plants. There are over 150 species. The Venus Fly Trap grows in between Florida and North and South Carolina. They grow well in acidic, boggy areas.
    It is a carnivorous plant, which means it eats insects. If a fly lands on its leaves, it touches the adaxial receptors, which are small hairs on the plant. These receptors have to be touched three times before the chemical reaction occurs that makes the Venus Fly Trap close its leaves in a quick motion. The fly is then stuck in the leaf and can’t get out. The bug is then "digested" by the plant. The plant can digest things three times before it dies.
    Their natural habitats are being destroyed by development in its region. If you want one, it is best to buy one from a plant nursery rather than take one from its natural habitat.    You can buy a Venus Fly Trap at big hardware chain stores, and they cost about three to five dollars. You have to transplant your plant in the spring in a peat moss mix. If you want to feed your plant, you should let it have a live bug, because the motion helps its feeding instinct.
                                                             Arizona Cliffrose

Purshia subintegra

    The Arizona Cliffrose is found in four counties in the state of Arizona: Mojave, Graham, Yavapai and Maricopa. It is a member of the Rosaceae family, which includes the rose, blackberry, and hawthorn plants.
    It is an evergreen shrub that grows about 1.5 meters tall. It has white and yellow petals, and is the leaves are gray in color. It is found in limestone lakebed deposits, and is food for muledeer. People like to use them as decorative plants for their homes.    It is on the endangered species list because of the damage done to them by off-road vehicle traffic, mining, pesticides, and road construction.

Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia oreophila

    The Pitcher Plant has hollow leaves which hold water, which gives it its name. There are eighty kinds of pitcher plants. They are found in tropical wetlands, mostly in Malaysia, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.
    The leaves of the pitcher plant can be from two inches to more than two feet in length. Large pitcher plants can trap small frogs and mice, and small plants can catch insects. Rainwater fills the jugs of the plant. Around the lip of the pitcher, nectar is produced. This attracts flies who like the nectar. As they search farther into the jug, they slip down into it and drown. There it is digested by the plant.    People are growing carnivorous plants in indoor greenhouses. This helps preserve these fascinating plants. If they were left to grow in their natural habitat, they would be destroyed by people draining the marshlands where the plant lives to build buildings and roads.