Carnivorous and unusual plant care

Grow the
strange
ones well.

Clear, source-checked guides for tropical and American pitcher plants, ant plants, Venus flytraps, sundews, butterworts, the Albany pitcher plant and sun pitchers. Find out what your plant actually needs, and what to do when something looks wrong.

Choose your plant Fix a problem
67in-depth guides
8plant groups covered
°F + °Cfor growers anywhere
A vigorous Nepenthes pitcher plant with hanging pitchers
Common questionWhy is my Nepenthes not producing pitchers?

Photo: Andy Lee / Pexels

Something looks wrong?

Choose your plant and what you see, or tap a common symptom below.

Not on the list? Ask us and we may cover it next. Hard tap water is worth ruling out too: try the water checker.

Pitchers turning brown No new pitchers Leaves yellow, black or red Mealybugs, scale or thrips Soft or shriveled ant plant tuber Flytrap dormant or dying? Dry indoor air Flytrap traps not closing Sundew not making dew? Sundew green, not red? Sundew dying back in winter? Sarracenia pitchers brown or floppy? Sarracenia dying back in winter? Butterwort not sticky or rotting? Butterwort small and succulent in winter? Cephalotus collapsing or mildewed? Cephalotus making flat leaves in winter? Heliamphora browning or wilting? Sun pitchers green, not red?

Choose your plant

Eight odd plants. Complete care paths.

Each plant has its own series, from first-day basics to troubleshooting and propagation. Start with the care guide, then follow the links as questions come up.

New to odd plants?

Start here

The eight pillar guides. Read one before you buy, or the week your plant arrives.

Heliamphora care guide
Heliamphora

Heliamphora Care: How to Grow Sun Pitchers

 Cephalotus care guide
Cephalotus

Cephalotus Care: How to Grow the Albany Pitcher Plant

 Butterwort care guide
Butterworts

Butterwort Care: How to Grow Pinguicula

 Sarracenia care guide
Sarracenia

Sarracenia Care: How to Grow American Pitcher Plants

 Sundew care guide
Sundews

Sundew Care: How to Grow Drosera at Home

 Venus flytrap care guide
Venus Flytrap

Venus Flytrap Care: How to Grow Dionaea muscipula at Home

 Ant plant care guide
Ant Plants

Ant Plant Care: How to Grow Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia Indoors

 Nepenthes light requirements guide
Nepenthes

How Much Light Does a Nepenthes Need? Indoor Grow Light Guide
Daffa Nur Rafie Alam, founder and editor of FloraOddity

Meet the editor

Daffa Nur Rafie Alam

Daffa founded FloraOddity because he loves odd plants. He builds every guide from botanical journals, specialist growers and other sources he has actually read, and lists them at the end. Away from plants he works as an SEO specialist, and he plans to start his own nursery for unusual plants.

More about Daffa →

Fresh from the greenhouse

Latest guides

Free tools

Grower tools

Quick answers built from the same sources as our guides. Carnivorous plants need water low in dissolved minerals, so start by checking yours.

Water Checker →Enter your TDS reading: safe, borderline or too hard, with what to do next. Symptom Checker →Pick your plant and what you see, and go straight to the right guide. Light Checker →Enter lux or PPFD and hours: see if your light suits your plant, with its daily light integral. Temperature and Humidity Checker →Enter day and night temperatures and humidity, and compare them with published ranges. All grower tools →More tools are on the way.

Coming next

Living stones Lithops Cobra lily Darlingtonia Bladderworts Utricularia Rainbow plants Byblis

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Not sure where to start? Pick your plant.

Nepenthes Ant Plants Venus Flytrap Sundews Sarracenia Butterworts Cephalotus Heliamphora