Drosera capillaris

Drosera capillaris, also known as the pink sundew, is a species of carnivorous plant belonging to the family Droseraceae.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite PLANTS</ref> It is native to the southern United States, the Greater Antilles, western and southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Description

Drosera capillaris is a perennial and herbaceous plant which forms mostly prostrate (but occasionally upright) rosettes. In more temperate regions, it grows as an annual.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> They can reach a diameter of Template:Convert at their largest.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Individual leaf blades typically range from Template:Convert to Template:Convert in length.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> Their inflorescences can reach heights of Template:Convert to Template:Convert, forming a one sided raceme, with 1 to 6 pink, or rarely, white blooms.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref> Flowers mature to an ovoid capsule, roughly Template:Convert long.<ref name=":4" /> They typically flower from May to August.<ref name=":2" />

D.Template:Nbspcapillaris can be confused with [[Drosera intermedia|D.Template:Nbspintermedia]] (spoonleaf sundew) especially when young, as both form flat rosettes and inhabit the same habitats. However D.Template:Nbspcapillaris petioles are sparsely pilose, while D.Template:Nbspintermedia is glabrous.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Like all members of its genus, D.Template:Nbspcapillaris leaf blades are covered in glandular trichomes which excrete a sugary mucilage. Small invertebrates then become trapped by the hairs, and are subsequently digested by enzymes. The trichomes act similarly to tentacles, closing around trapped organisms further ensnaring them.<ref name=":5" />

Habitat and ecology

Drosera capillaris occurs in subtropical to tropical seepage bogs, savannas, and grasslands often dominated by species of pine, including Pinus palustris (longleaf), [[Pinus elliottii|P.Template:Nbspelliottii]] (slash), or [[Caribbean pine|P.Template:Nbspcaribaea]] (Caribbean).<ref name=":6">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1" /> Such habitats are subject to frequent fires (but less than their upland counterparts, which often are subject to seasonal burns). Like other species of sundew, D.Template:Nbspcapillaris is fire adapted, as elimination of competing plants facilitates proliferation of seedlings.<ref name=":1" /> Thick clay deposits both prevent the establishment of large trees or shrubs, and trap water. The resulting habitat are sunny but always wet. These habitats are highly acidic, sandy, and nutrient deficient, incentivizing carnivory. In North America, DTemplate:Nbspcapillaris grows concurrently with other unrelated species of carnivorous plants such as Sarracenia species (pitcher plants), Pingucula species (butterworts), and Utricularia species (bladderworts), as well as other species of Drosera. Across their entire range, other common coexisting species include orchids, Eleocharis species (spikerushes), Rhynchospora species (breaksedges), and Paspalum species.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" />

Conservation

Drosera capillaris is listed as vulnerable in the US state of Virginia, and critically imperiled in Arkansas, Maryland, and Tennessee.<ref name=ns>Template:Cite NatureServe</ref>