Venus Flytrap growing

I’ve always been told that the Venus flytrap got it’s name due to the shear white beauty of it’s flowers, just like the goddess/planet Venus. The flytrap part is obviously from it’s twisted fly eating ways.

However

Barry Rice has an interesting article on the real reason for the name Venus flytrap.

Barry claims that the name is due to the “dirty minds of the kooky naturalists and nurserymen” and that “they saw in its amazing behavior and attractive form” … “something that reminded them of female genitalia of their own species.”

Jeepers, that’s a heck of a statement. But Barry can backup his claims …

Visit his website to learn more about where the name “Venus Flytrap” came from … Barry’s website.

The painting is “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli.

The question is, are they called “Venus Fly Traps”, “Venus Flytraps”, “Venus fly traps” or “Venus flytraps”?

Well, all of them are acceptable! Here on flytrapgrowing.info we refer to them as Venus flytraps, but that’s purely for consistency across the site. Many other websites and books refer to them by the other variations of the name If you want to be 100% correct, then it’s best to refer to the plant by it’s full name of Dionaea muscipula Soland. ex Ellis.

More information about the formal latin name of the Venus flytrap is available on our Taxonomy page.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Duke.