Drosera capillaris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Droseraceae
Genus: Drosera
Subgenus: Drosera subg. Drosera
Section: Drosera sect. Drosera
Species:
D. capillaris
Binomial name
Drosera capillaris
Poir. 1804
Synonyms
  • Drosera annua E.L. Reed
  • Drosera leucantha Shinners

Drosera capillaris, also known as the pink sundew, is a species of carnivorous plant belonging to the family Droseraceae.[1][2] It is native to the southern United States, the Greater Antilles, western and southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.[3][4] It is listed as vulnerable in the US state of Virginia, and critically imperiled in Arkansas, Maryland, and Tennessee.[5]

Description

Drosera capillaris is a perennial herbaceous plant, which forms mostly prostrate (but occasionally upright) rosettes. In more temperate regions, it grows as an annual.[6] They can reach a diameter of 3 inches (7.6 cm) at their largest.[1][7] Individual leaf blades typically range from .5 inches (1.3 cm) to 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length.[8] Their inflorescences can reach heights of 4 inches (10 cm) to 14 inches (36 cm), forming a one sided raceme, with 1 to 6 pink, or rarely, white blooms.[8][9] Flowers mature to an ovoid capsule, roughly 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) long.[9] They typically flower from May to August.[7]

D. capillaris can be confused with D. intermedia (spoonleaf sundew) especially when young, as both form flat rosettes and inhabit the same habitats. However D. capillaris petioles are sparsely pilose, while D. intermedia is glabrous.[10][11] Like all members of their genus, D. capillaris' leaf blades are covered in glandular trichomes which excrete a sugary mucilage. Small invertebrates then become trapped by the hairs, and are subsequently digested by enzymes. The trichomes act similarly to tentacles, closing around trapped organisms further ensnaring them.[10]

Habitat and Ecology

D. capillaris occur in subtropical to tropical seepage bogs, savannas, and grasslands often dominated by species of pine, including Pinus palustris (longleaf), P. elliottii (slash), or P. caribaea (Caribbean).[12][6] Such habitats are subject to frequent fires (but less than their upland counterparts, which often are subject to seasonal burns). Like other species of sundew, D. capillaris is fire adapted, as elimination of competing plants facilitates proliferation of seedlings.[6] Thick clay deposits both prevent the establishment of large trees or shrubs, and trap water. The resulting habitat are sunny but always wet. These habitats are highly acidic, sandy, and nutrient deficient, incentivizing carnivory. In North America, D capillaris grows concurrently with other unrelated species of carnivorous plants such as Sarracenia ssp. (Pitcher plants), Pingucula ssp. (Butterworts), and Utricularia ssp (bladderworts), as well as other species of Drosera. Across their entire range other common coexisting species include orchids, Eleocharis ssp. (Spikerushes), Rhynchospora ssp. (breaksedges), and Paspalum ssp.[12][6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drosera capillaris.
  1. 1 2 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Drosera capillaris". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  2. ↑ "USDA Plants Database". plants.sc.egov.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  3. ↑ Weakley, Alan S. "Flora of the Southeastern United states 2023 Edition - Drosera capilaris". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  4. ↑ de Stefano, Rodrigo Duno; dos Santos Silva, Tania Regina (2001). "Conservation Status of the Carnivorous Genus Drosera in South America and the Caribbean". Harvard Papers in Botany. 6 (1): 253–260. ISSN 1043-4534. JSTOR 41761649.
  5. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer - Drosera capillaris". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Brewer, J. Stephen (1999). "Effects of Fire, Competition and Soil Disturbances on Regeneration of a Carnivorous Plant (Drosera capillaris)". The American Midland Naturalist. 141 (1): 28–42. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(1999)141[0028:EOFCAS]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0003-0031. JSTOR 2426963. S2CID 86350459.
  7. 1 2 "Drosera capillaris (Bog Sundew, Pink Sundew) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  8. 1 2 Schnell, Donald E. (1976). Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA: John F. Blair. pp. 67–68. ISBN 0-910244-90-1.
  9. 1 2 Ajilvsgi, Geyata (1979). Wild Flowers of the Big Thicket: East Texas, and Western Louisiana. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-89096-064-X.
  10. 1 2 "Drosera". Flora of North America. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Weakley, A.S.; Southeastern Flora Team (2023). "Flora of the southeastern United States: Texas" (PDF) (Edition of April 14, 2023 ed.). p. 600. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 Farruggia, Frank T.; Henry, M.; Stevens, H.; Vincent, Michael A. (2008). "A Floristic Description of a Neotropical Coastal Savanna in Belize 1". Caribbean Journal of Science. 44 (1): 53–69. doi:10.18475/cjos.v44i1.a7. ISSN 0008-6452. S2CID 43674851.
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