Scientists uncover hidden carnivorous habit in tiny Chinese mountain plant

A team of botanists has demonstrated that Saxifraga candelabrum, a small yellow-flowered species growing in China’s mountainous woodlands, is a true carnivorous plant. After documenting insects caught on the plant’s surface in the wild, the scientists sequenced its genome and identified digestive enzymes that absorb nitrogen from prey, confirming a functional carnivorous syndrome. The discovery echoes Charles Darwin’s 1875 speculation that some Saxifraga members could be insect-eating, despite the species he named being different.

Hang Sun, the study’s lead author at the Kunming Institute of Botany, noted that the plant’s minute sticky traps expand the known diversity of carnivorous mechanisms. Peer reviewers, including Mark Chase of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, praised the comprehensive approach that combined field work, isotope analysis and genomics. Published in Nature Communications, the research suggests that other inconspicuous plants may also possess partial carnivorous traits, with potential applications for natural pest control in crops.