Venus flytrap

[ vee-nuhs flahy-trap ]

noun

1. a carnivorous plant, Dionaea muscipula, native to bogs of North Carolina and South Carolina, having roundish leaves with two lobes that close like a trap when tiny, sensitive hairs on their inner surfaces are irritated, as by a fly: classified as a vulnerable species and currently known to exist naturally only in sites within 56 miles (90 kilometers) of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Venus flytrap¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Authorities in North Carolina have arrested two people in a case of poaching hundreds of Venus flytraps, which grow naturally in the eastern part of the state.

From Seattle Times

That's just one of the findings in a new study that sequences the genome of Nepenthes gracilis, a species of carnivorous plant related to Venus flytraps, as well as sundews, beets and spinach.

From Science Daily

Playing Alfie, he acted alongside a giant Venus flytrap in the retailer's annual festive marketing campaign.

From BBC

But I’m doing a project right now on illicit harvesting of Venus flytraps in North Carolina, and as of 2015 it’s a felony to take flytraps from public lands.

From Los Angeles Times

I can always sit down and rewatch Michael Sheen describe his character Aro as a Venus flytrap with an unhinged quality, mirrored by his own devilish grin and flashing eyes.

From Salon