Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula 'Splash' 'Starter'

Dionaea muscipula ‘Splash’ is a hybridized plant from the original carnivorous plant, the Venus fly trap. This small marsh plant has developed specialized mechanisms on the ends of the leaves to catch insects with. The catching mechanism consists of two modified leaf parts that could close like jaws. This only happens when an insect triggers the hairs inside the ‘jaws’ for two times in a short period of time. The variety ‘Splash’ shows a remarkable mutation of the traps. Several mutated traps are formed in a way that they look like tube-shaped flowers with cilia surrounding the trap structure. The mutated traps are not able to catch insects anymore due to the alteration in form. The plant produces an extra-long inflorescence to avoid accidentally consuming their valuable pollinators. Propagation is most easily done by seeds or dividing mature plants

Dionaea muscipula ‘Splash’ is a cultivated plant and does not occur naturally. Originally, the Venus flytrap grows in temperate marshes on the eastern coast of the USA. This plant could be grown indoors but is also suitable for outdoor cultivation. In winter, this species loses its aboveground leaf structures. In spring the plant resprouts from its rhizome. This plant needs a very bright spot with as much direct sunlight as possible. Place this plant in a soil mixture with the major part peat moss. Avoid regular soil or soil containing any nutrients. Make sure that the soil is always swampy, never let this plant dry out completely. Only use rainwater or water without any minerals, this will harm the root system of the plant. Fertilization is not necessary; it is possible however to ‘feed’ this plant caught insects once in a while.