Bhubaneswar, Aug. 9: The Nandankanan biological park is going to house India's first carnivorous plant collection by mid-October.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting held on Friday to include at least 25 varieties of such plants from five different species across a 600-sqft area in the first phase of installation. The park authorities, however, will keep adding to the collection in future.

Nandankanan zoo deputy director Jayants Das said most of the plants would be procured from a city-based collector Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, who would help complete the project with his technical expertise and practical experience with the plants.

Das added: "The carnivorous plant garden will be ready within two months and it will also have a state-of-the art temperature-controlled green house for better growth. The garden will also have adequate display area and signage to describe the details of the plants such as places of origin and availability.''

Sudarshan Panda, the zoo director, and other senior officials had visited Mohanty's green house and saw the rich collection of plants that trap insects and digest them to get nutrients. Mohanty, an engineer by profession, has taken care of carnivorous plants inherited from his father and grandfather. He is also into research and crossbreeding of these plants at his facility in Kharavela Nagar.

"I want more people to know about these plants as they are very important. I have the low-altitude varieties with me. But, if they grow inside a temperature-controlled atmosphere, they will bigger leaves with larger pitchers. I have requested the zoo authorities to have more interactive sessions for school, college and university students,'' Mohanty said.

Citing an interesting example of how many people are yet to see these plants, Mohanty said when his elder son, who now studies in Class IX, had told his teacher that he had carnivorous plants at home, the teacher thought he was joking and asked him to get out of the classroom.

"I want interested individuals to grow them in their homes so that its biology is known to more and more people,'' Mohanty added.