Carnivorous Plant: Shining dew, dangerous traps

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Sundew is not dew, but actually the name of a plant which has leaves covered by drops like morning dew. Bathing in the sun, these glistening "dewdrops" make the plant fresh and vivid.

Dewdrops on round-leaved sundew plants /VCG Photo

The dew on sundew's leaves is a kind of mucilage for luring and entrap insects and other small prey. It is sweet, but also sticky.

Closeup of a sundew /VCG Photo

For certain types of sundew like Cape Sundew and Spoonleaf Sundew, they can curl up their tentacles to ensure the prey is in their plates. Soon, the prey will be digested by enzymes that are secreted from the glandular trichomes that cover the leaves' surface.

Following this "attract, arrest and absorb" mechanism, sundew's capture of prey is quite efficient.

Sticky hairs of the sundew. /VCG Photo

Normally, sundew lives in places that are seasonally moist and have high levels of sunlight. The soil that sundew grows in is usually acidic and lack nutrients. Hence, just like other carnivorous plants, the sundew needs to prey on insects for nutrients locked in minerals, especially nitrogen.

Oblong-leaved sundew on moss in a moor in Bavaria, Germany. /VCG Photo

Sundew also has flowers that grow a long stem which is much higher than its leaves. Thus during their fluorescence, insects that help to pollinate flowers will not become "accidental snacks" of the sundew. This also enables the plant to disperse its seeds.

The flower of shield sundew /VCG Photo

Sundew is the largest genus of carnivorous plants. It can be found all over the world. Among the distribution, Australia has nearly fifty percent of the varieties. In China, they grow in southwest China, particularly in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

About Carnivorous Plant series:

At this year's International Horticultural Exposition, there is a special zone in the Plant Pavilion for various carnivorous plants. Carnivorous plants are plants which prey on insects or small animals for extra nutrition that they cannot get simply from the soil, water, and sunlight. In this series, we are going to present to you the most typical carnivorous plants.

(Cover images via VCG)

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