''Roridula dentata'' is a

protocarnivorous A protocarnivorous plant (sometimes also paracarnivorous, subcarnivorous, or borderline carnivore), according to some definitions, traps and kills insects or other animals but lacks the ability to either directly digest or absorb nutrients from i ...

plant native to the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of South Africa. It can be found only in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, in the hotter and more arid inland mountains of Clanwilliam, Tulbagh and Ceres, and can grow up to more than 150 cm. The leaves are covered with sticky hairs and produce a

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...

(rather than a

mucilage Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of ...

as in most other sticky carnivorous plants), enabling it to catch insects, such as wasps or bees, and very occasionally small birds. McPherson, Stewart. 2008. ''Glistening Carnivores: the Sticky-leaved Insect-eating Plants''. Poole, Dorset, England: Redfern Natural History Productions. It benefits indirectly from catching prey, as several species of '' Pameridea'' are unaffected by the stickiness of the leaves. ''R. dentata'' then absorbs the nitrogen from the droppings of the insects, resulting in an obligate mutualistic relationship. This relationship is effectively indirect carnivory, which some believe is enough to classify ''R. dentata'' as a proper

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. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from photosynthesis. Ca ...

with flypaper-type traps.

References

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Carnivorous plants of Africa dentata Flora of the Cape Provinces {{Ericales-stub