# Why VENUS flytrap?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-venus-flytrap/728712>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-venus-flytrap/728712 "2015-08-24T12:47:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-venus-flytrap/728712/61 "2015-08-26T15:37:30Z")

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> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Now, ya gotta ask: Why is the Venus Fly called the Venus Fly?

I am not aware of any Venus Fly, but there is a [Beyonce Fly](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/beyonce-inspires-australian-researchers-all-time-diva-flies-honor-article-1.1005899) (so named because it has a golden butt).

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**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-venus-flytrap/728712/62 "2015-08-28T21:27:16Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> According to OED, there were many other plants named after Venus before the flytrap, and few seem to have anything to do with the vagina (some even predate the term “vagina”\*).

Well, maybe, but predating the term vagina is meaningless to whether or not a plant is named Venus based on a resemblance to female genitalia, right? If you could show the name predated the _existence_ of female genitalia, well, then you’d have something.

Maybe the Venus flytrap takes its name from the scallop shell in Botticelli’s _Birth of Venus_? Wait a minute, why is there even a scallop shell there?

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**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-venus-flytrap/728712/63 "2015-08-28T23:17:12Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> “[Mulva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Junior_Mint) flytrap” would probably be more appropriate. 😃

Just in case my joke got missed “Del Boca Vista” basically means “view of the mouth” in Spanish, which is what the other poster wanted to compare it to.

Otherwise, yes… Mulva indeed would be better. Maybe we need a petition started on FaceBook.

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