Scientists confirm plant in southwestern China eats insects, proving Darwin's suspicion

Scientists confirmed that Saxifraga candelabrum, a plant in southwestern China, is carnivorous, proving Charles Darwin’s 151-year-old suspicion about the genus. The plant traps insects with sticky hairs, then digests them to absorb nitrogen from nutrient-poor mountain soils. Researchers traced labeled nitrogen from fruit flies through the plant and published findings in Nature Communications. Most carnivorous plants grow in nutrient-poor environments. Researchers expect more such species exist; over 630 carnivorous plants are known, including pitcher plants.