KUCHING: Plants that can move and which have hair-thin spiky teeth? What are those? This fascinating carnivorous plant is called Venus Flytrap, or by its scientific name Dionaea Muscipula.
Venus Flytrap, best known for its ability to capture and digest insects, is native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States.
It is not common to see these non-poisonous plants in Sarawak but couple Rick Tan and Zuen Yap want to instill more public interest in these plants.
They have been importing these plants from Europe with an import permit from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) Sarawak since 2018.
The mathematics tuition teachers are now operating a home-based plant store on a part-time basis, focusing on selling Venus Flytrap as well as the American Pitcher Plant.
“Not many people are very familiar with this plant. We wish to make Kuching a more interesting place with different varieties of plants and not only with emphasis on orchids and living plants.
“Therefore, we want to introduce this Venus Flytrap as something different from the main market,” Yap told New Sarawak Tribune at the Borneo International Garden Expo Sarawak (BIGEXS) 2023 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here on Friday (Mar 17).
According to Yap, Venus Flytrap is not harmful to humans and will not threaten the local environment and wildlife.
“There are ornamental plants, if you throw them outside to the wild, they will just die and will not survive in our natural habitat.
“But under human care and our environment, they can grow well,” she said.
She explained that depending on its cultivar, the ‘trap’ can grow up to 6cm wide.
“Under Sarawak’s weather conditions, the ‘trap’ can grow up to 4.2cm or 4.3cm in size,” she said, adding that the plant grows well without food and fertiliser.
Yap added that these plants mostly eat fly and mosquitos, and need at least half a day of direct sunlight.
A pot Venus Flytrap, she said, can cost RM20 and above, depending on its size.
Meanwhile, Tan, who has an entomology background, described Venus Flytrap as another famous ornamental plant.
“Students learn about this plant in their school textbook, but most of them never get the chance to see a real one.
“So, we want to let children, as well as the public, have a better understanding about this plant by introducing the Venus Flytrap,” he said.
He also hoped the Sarawak government would give better support to small plant business owners like them.
“This is not for business only but more for creating educational purposes about the plant,” he said.
Those who wish to know more about the Venus Flytrap as well as the American Pitcher Plant can visit Tan and Yap’s social media pages at genuskch on Facebook or genus_kch on Instagram.
The public may also contact Tan at 0113-6083119 or Yap at 0113-6073119.
