Drosophyllum

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iDrosophyllum lusitanicum

Drosophyllum lusitanicum in the wild.

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Drosophyllaceae
Genus:	Drosophyllum
Species:	D. lusitanicum

Binomial name

Drosophyllum lusitanicum
(L.) Link

Drosophyllum distribution

Drosophyllum is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species Drosophyllum lusitanicum (Portuguese Sundew or Dewy pine). In appearance, it is similar to the related genus Drosera (the sundews), and to the much more distantly related Byblis (the rainbow plants).

An illustration of the mucilagenous glands by Darwin

Drosophyllum lusitanicum is native to Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and is one of the few carnivorous plants to grow in dry, alkaline soil. The 20-40 cm glandular leaves, which uncoil from a central rosette, lack the power of movement common to most sundews, but have the unusual characteristic of being coiled outward when immature. The plant has a distinct sweet aroma, which attracts the insects it preys upon. When insects land on the leaves, they find themselves stuck to the mucilage secreted by the stalked glands on the leaves. The more the insects struggle, the more ensnared they become, ultimately dying of suffocation or exhaustion. The plant then secretes enzymes which dissolve the insects and release the nutrients which are then absorbed by the plant. The plant uses these nutrients to supplement the nutrient-poor soil it grows in.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum flower

Drosophyllum lusitanicum bears bright yellow flowers that are 4 cm. in diameter and are born in groups of 3-15 between February and May. The translucent seedpods bear 3-10 opaque black pear-shaped seeds, 2.5 mm. in diameter. Seed germination may be aided by scarification.

The genus had always been assumed to be closely allied to Drosera and was previously placed in the Droseraceae. Recent molecular and biochemical studies, however, place it in the monotypic Drosophyllaceae (Chrtek, Slaviková & Studnicka), as recommended by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, and allied with the Dioncophyllaceae (Triphyophyllum) and Ancistrocladaceae.