Plantwatch: The insect-eatin alpine plant that pruives Darwin wis richt

Back in 1875, Charles Darwin predicted that Saxifraga candelabrum, a wee alpine plant, cud eat insects.

Its leaves, petals and stems are smoored in tiny, sticky hairs and – juist as the evolutionary biologist suspected – the sweet glue on the hairs can lure and trap midges afore digestin them wi an enzyme.

The nitrogen frae their remains is absorbed intil the plant, which is essential for it to survive in the nutrient-puir soils of the Hengduan mountains in south-wast China. The plant wis also fund to hae genes connectit to thae fund in carnivorous plants.

The study findins may point to ither killer plants that trap insects wi sticky hairs and feed aff their remains.

The leaves o the wild potatoes Solanum berthaultii and Solanum polyadenium are covered in sticky hairs and trap aphids and some ither sma pests, potentially openin the way to combine pest control wi plant fertiliser.

Ither sticky-haired plants may follow a similar approach, accordin to a study in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.