Saxifraga is now described as carnivorous

[LeafKirby]

Identification of carnivory in the flowering plant Saxifraga via multidisciplinary evidence - Nature Communications

Carnivorous plants capture and digest insects for nutrients, an adaptive strategy typically found in wetlands. This study identifies carnivory in the alpine Saxifraga plant lineage, supporting Darwin's hypothesis of carnivory in this genus.

www.nature.com

Didn't see any other thread on this, so I thought I'd make one! Not sure if it'll be all of the species, since they're pretty much global.

 

[bluemax]

I guess that means there is more research to be done into other species than the one specified. 'Could be quite a shakeup in the carnivorous plants community. Thanks for posting this LeafKirby!

 

[LeafKirby]

Of course! I wonder what other proto-carnivorous plants will be reclassified in the future.

 

[bluemax]

I certainly didn't see this one coming.

 

[FrankenSnyder]

Here in Southern California we have California Saxifrage. I studied the plant and concur it is primitively carnivorous. I found the below pictured growing in local mountains along with a Monkey Flower, which I told about in our Primitive Carnivory Analyzed thread:

Primitive carnivory analyzed

Note how California Saxifrage looks similar to Cephalotus. This is no coincidence. They are very closely related. I successfully grafted them. Also, they share the same chromosome number. I wanted to cross pollinate the two, but sadly I was unable to grow California Saxifrage to flower. Others should try.

 

[hcarlton]

Saxifrages are not closely related to Cephalotus. The latter are in the Oxales clade and significantly closer related to things like true roses, cucurbits, even passionflowers, than they are Saxifraga which is in its own family at the base of the superrosid tree. They would never cross.

 

[LeafKirby]

Saxifrages are not closely related to Cephalotus. The latter are in the Oxales clade and significantly closer related to things like true roses, cucurbits, even passionflowers, than they are Saxifraga which is in its own family at the base of the superrosid tree. They would never cross.

Funny you mention that, because there happens to be a US native passionflower that has sticky flowers...
Hm....

 

[FrankenSnyder]

I have seen Passiflora foetida. Very interesting glands. Please test feed it fruitfly heads if you can and tell us your results in the Primitive Carnivory thread. I should tell more of what I learned about Saxifrage there. Have faith Carlton.

 

[hcarlton]

Funny you mention that, because there happens to be a US native passionflower that has sticky flowers...
Hm....

Sticky bracts, and they've already been tested (along with the several other species in that clade that have the same structures as there are now several recognized). It's just defensive at this point and time.

Ivan: no faith involved when the genetic distance and incompatibility would simply make it impossible. It's not even just trying to jump between families, it's trying to claim something as divergent as a tortoise could cross with an emu. That's the gap between the two, separate ends of one of the largest clades of angiosperm plants out there.
Heck, cashew trees and mustard are closer to Cephalotus than Saxifraga is.