Anthocyanin in Dionaea muscipula Ellis (Venus Flytrap)

Abstract

Dionaea muscipula belongs to a small group of carnivorous plants which have movable leaf traps¹. Triggering an inner leaf hair causes the trap to close and this is accompanied by a characteristic action potential². During histological observations we noted that in mature leaves there were large concentrations of a red pigment in the digestive glands, the inner layer of the leaf cells, and particularly in the cells at the base of the sensitive trigger hair. Presuming this pigment to be an anthocyanin³, we analysed it by column chromatography⁴, paper chromatography, ultra-violet and infra-red absorption spectra.