Droseraceae

The family Droseraceae is a cosmopolitan species that is found on all of the continents with the exception of Antarctica. This is likely the most diverse carnivorous plant family and has 150-160 species. 11 of these species are found in the United States (Webb D. 2008). This family is usually found as an herb or rarely a small shrub. The leaves of this family are alternate or whorled. This family has simple leaves, with the lamina with glandular hairs which trap insects, or have bristles that

sundew ever seen in the New World with growth of up to 123 cm (ESF, n.d.). Other known sundew plants can be found in Alaska to New Zealand and even Australia, as well as South America and southern Africa (Learn About Nature, n.d.). Members of the Droseraceae family are known for arresting and absorbing insects through stalked mucilaginous glands which is spread over the surface of their leaves (Learn About Nature, n.d.). Sundews are also known to be self-productive due to the fact that their flowers

Carnivorous Plants In a world where plants are at the bottom of the food-chain, some individual plant species have evolved ways to reverse the order we expect to find in nature. These insectivorous plants, as they are sometimes called, are the predators , rather than the passive prey. Adaptations such as odiferous lures and trapping mechanisms have made it possible for these photosynthesizers to capture, chemically break-down and digest insect prey (and in some cases even small animals.) There