''Drosera capillaris'', also known as the pink sundew, is a species of

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

belonging to the family

Droseraceae Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera, the vast majority being in the sundew genus '' Drosera''. The family also contains the wel ...

. It is native to the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

, the

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, together with Navassa Island and the Cayman Islands. Seven island states share the region of the Greater Antille ...

, western and southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

Description

''Drosera capillaris'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

and

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

which forms mostly prostrate (but occasionally upright) rosettes. In more

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions, it grows as an annual. They can reach a diameter of at their largest. Individual leaf blades typically range from to in length. Their inflorescences can reach heights of to , forming a one sided

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

, with 1 to 6 pink, or rarely, white blooms. Flowers mature to an ovoid capsule, roughly long. They typically flower from May to August. ''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 Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

, while ''D.intermedia'' is

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

. Like all members of its genus, ''D.capillaris'' leaf blades are covered in glandular

trichomes Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

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.

Habitat and ecology

''Drosera capillaris'' occurs in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

seepage bogs,

savannas A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient li ...

, and

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

often dominated by species of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

, including ''

Pinus palustris The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

'' (longleaf), '' P.elliottii'' (slash), or '' P.caribaea'' (Caribbean). 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. 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, ''Dcapillaris'' grows concurrently with other unrelated species of carnivorous plants such as ''Sarracenia'' species (pitcher plants), ''Pingucula'' species (butterworts), and ''Utricularia'' species (bladderworts), as well as other species of ''Drosera''. Across their entire range, other common coexisting species include

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

, ''Eleocharis'' species (spikerushes), ''Rhynchospora'' species (breaksedges), and ''Paspalum'' species.

Conservation

''Drosera capillaris'' is listed as vulnerable in the US state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and critically imperiled in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q146117 Carnivorous plants of North America capillaris Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the Caribbean Plants described in 1804 Taxa named by Jean Louis Marie Poiret