GoKawiilSaxifraga candelabrum confirmed as carnivorous plant, validating 1875 Darwin prediction
Researchers led by Hang Sun studied Saxifraga candelabrum growing in China's Qinghai–Tibet Plateau–Hengduan Mountains and found insects trapped on sticky glandular hairs in 43 of 45 specimens, averaging 71 insects per mature plant. Tests revealed phosphatase enzyme activity indicating digestion, and feeding experiments with nitrogen-labeled fruit flies showed the plant absorbed nutrients from its prey, confirming it meets the criteria for carnivory. The findings, published in Nature Communications, support a hypothesis Charles Darwin proposed in 1875 about the genus Saxifraga.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The discovery expands the known diversity of carnivorous plant lineages and resolves a century-and-a-half-old open question in botany. It suggests that carnivory may be more widespread among flowering plants with sticky glandular hairs than previously recognized, which could prompt researchers to re-examine other Saxifraga species and similar plants for undetected carnivorous adaptations.
- Saxifraga candelabrum meets all criteria for carnivory: trapping, digesting, and absorbing nutrients from insects
- Study confirms Darwin's 1875 hypothesis about sticky-haired Saxifraga species
- Isotope-labeled fly feeding experiments showed measurable nitrogen uptake by the plant
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Published there as: “Sticky alpine flower confirms Darwin's 150-year-old carnivorous plant prediction”
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