Venus Fly Trap

Center for Parasitic and Carnivorous Plants

Parasitic and carnivorous plants are diverse, widespread, and play important roles in many ecosystems. 

Here at Penn State, we have one of the strongest groups of scientists in the world who are studying parasitic and carnivorous plants. We also have uniquely suitable facilities for growth of these uniquely specialized plants, including a certified quarantine facility where we can safely grow parasitic plants collected anywhere in the world.

Our integration of studies exist at multiple levels of organization (molecular, cellular, organismal, ecosystem, and over evolutionary time).