Sticky and deadly: Mountain flower from China confirmed as the first carnivorous plant of its kind
A wildflower growing in the mountains of southwestern China preys on small insects attracted to its sticky hairs, digesting and absorbing nutrients from their bodies. The findings support a Darwinian theory from 1875, proving the accuracy of his scientific insight.
A flowering plant in the mountainous areas of China has been confirmed as a carnivorous species. Research published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that Saxifraga candelabrum can attract, trap, digest, and absorb nitrogen from insects. It belongs to the diverse order Saxifragales, which includes more than 2,000 species.
The findings strengthen and verify the hypotheses of Charles Darwin, the "father of the theory of evolution," from more than 150 years ago. This is the first proven case of a carnivore from this order, said American botanist Prof. Douglas Soltis of the Florida Museum of Natural History, one of the study's authors.
"Other carnivorous plants usually grow in wet and muddy soils, but Saxifraga candelabrum lives in dry alpine areas," Prof. Soltis told Live Science. "These regions are poor in nutrients, which led to the evolution of carnivorous plants that obtain essential elements from their prey."
While many plants exhibit traits such as prey capture, to be officially classified as carnivorous, they must show adaptations for attraction, capture, digestion, and absorption of nutrients. In 1875, Darwin suggested that certain species of the genus Saxifraga might be carnivorous due to the reddish, sticky hairs on their surfaces. However, at the time, there was a lack of conclusive evidence.
Prof. Hang Sun and his colleagues studied Saxifraga candelabrum, which grows in the alpine regions of the Tibetan Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains at altitudes of 2,500 to 3,300 meters. Field observations showed that in 43 out of 45 samples, there was evidence of insect prey. Mature plants contained an average of 71 trapped insects.
"We conducted several experiments and confirmed that it is a plant that eats insects. This proves that Darwin's hypothesis was correct," said Prof. Sun, from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
To establish the findings, researchers looked for evidence of digestion. Using fluorescent labeling, they identified phosphatase activity—a digestive enzyme common in carnivorous plants. Subsequent analysis using Drosophila confirmed the plant's ability to absorb nitrogen from its prey. Genetic analysis further revealed genomic similarities with other independently evolved carnivorous plants, including genes linked to prey attraction and digestion. Saxifraga candelabrum has effectively turned its protective hairs into insect traps, perfectly balancing its evolutionary needs.
