Source: Carolyn Ferguson, 785-532-3166, ferg@1xbet sports betting edu
Website: http://cstd.1xbet sports betting edu/Theatre/

News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, 785-532-2535, evietti@1xbet sports betting edu

Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS MAKE APPEARANCE IN 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' AND AT CAMPUS HERBARIUM

MANHATTAN -- When the Kansas State University Theatre's production of &1xbet sports betting ;Little Shop of Horrors&1xbet sports betting ; hits McCain Auditorium Nov. 11-14, the show will feature the character Audrey II, a carnivorous plant with an insatiable appetite for people.

But Audrey II isn't the only carnivorous plant on campus, and McCain Auditorium isn't the only place to find such hungry vegetation.

The 1xbet sports betting Herbarium, on the third floor of Bushnell Hall, has several specimens of different species of carnivorous and insectivorous plants. From pitcher plants to the more familiar Venus flytraps, the herbarium has specimens dating as far back as the 1800s.

Carnivorous plants are interesting because they have evolved several times, according to Carolyn Ferguson, 1xbet sports betting associate professor of biology and curator of the herbarium.

&1xbet sports betting ;These plants usually grow in nutrient-poor areas, like acidic bogs,&1xbet sports betting ; said Ferguson. &1xbet sports betting ;They trap insects to draw nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous from them.&1xbet sports betting ;

The largest pitcher plants can grow to nearly a foot in diameter and can trap small rodents. There are no carnivorous plants nearly that large in Kansas; however, the herbarium does have a specimen of an insectivorous, aquatic plant that was collected from Crawford County.

&1xbet sports betting ;The type of plant that was found in Kansas has a bladder trap,&1xbet sports betting ; said Ferguson. &1xbet sports betting ;It forms a small, bulbous bladder with a flap-like door, and then it creates a vacuum that it uses to trap aquatic insects or crustaceans inside.&1xbet sports betting ;

The carnivorous plant specimens make up just a small part of the herbarium's nearly 200,000 specimens. The herbarium is open to the public. Appointments, which are encouraged, can be scheduled by contacting herbarium@1xbet sports betting edu. The herbarium also has digitized its entire collection of North American plants, a process that took nearly five years. The collection can be found online at http://biodis.1xbet sports betting edu/.

More information on K-State's production of &1xbet sports betting ;Little Shop of Horrors&1xbet sports betting ; is available at http://cstd.k-state.edu/Theatre/.