Scientists Validate Darwin’s Theory in Saxifraga candelabrum

Key facts

• Scientists confirmed that Saxifraga candelabrum, a plant native to the Hengduan Mountains in southwest China, is carnivorous.
• The plant grows at elevations above 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) and traps insects using sticky hairs on its stems and branches.
• The study demonstrated that the plant digests and absorbs nutrients from insects, fulfilling the two key conditions for carnivory.
• This is the first demonstrated case of carnivory in the saxifrage plant group (Saxifragaceae).
• The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications on August 4, 2026.
• The plant produces the digestive enzyme phosphatase, and genetic analysis revealed genes linked to prey attraction, digestion, and nutrient absorption.
• Saxifraga candelabrum evolved carnivorous traits to survive in nutrient-poor, dry alpine soils, unlike typical carnivorous plants found in bogs.
• The study supports a prediction made by Charles Darwin in 1875 about related Saxifraga species being carnivorous.