Chinese Saxifraga species catch insects, confirming Darwin’s 150-year-old hypothesis

A new study confirms Charles Darwin’s 150-year-old hypothesis that Saxifraga plant species are carnivorous, settling a long-standing botanical question with modern evidence. Researchers found a Chinese Saxifraga catches insects on sticky hairs, snaring 71 per plant. It lures prey by scent, digests them with carnivorous-plant enzymes, and absorbs nutrients, verified with labeled fruit flies. Darwin had tried and failed to prove this idea. Genetic analysis now suggests related Saxifraga species may also be insect hunters, while mostly avoiding their own pollinators.