Common B.C. flower is actually a carnivorous bug eater

It's a bad time to be a small insect in Cypress Provincial Park.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have identified the first new carnivorous plant in 20 years. 

In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers discovered that the Triantha occidentalis in the park, a species of false asphodel, was missing a gene consistently seen in other carnivorous plants. 

The stem of Triantha contains sticky red hairs that trap small insects, such as midges and flies as they pass by. The plant produces a digestive enzyme called phosphatase, which allows it to feast on the insect. 

Co-author Sean Graham, who is a professor in the department of botany at UBC, described the plant as "innocuous" and "sweet looking." However, if you look closer, Graham noted that these plants will often have small insect corpses littering the stems. 

"If you're a small insect, you should beware." 

Friend or food? 

While Triantha relies on small bugs for food, it also depends on larger pollinator insects such as bees and butterflies to reproduce. According to Graham, these pollinators are not bothered by the stickiness of the stem. 

It is believed that because the stem hairs are not very sticky, the plant cannot trap larger and stronger insects. 

"It's a really interesting conflict actually, because the plants are using insects for pollination services ... but they're also using insects to eat. It's almost like a contradiction when you hear it." 

Graham noted that Triantha can be found in boggy areas and wetlands across the West Coast, reaching from Alaska to California. It grows in nutrient-poor areas, which is why the plant uses insects to receive nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

"If you go for a hike and you're in a boggy area, there's a reasonable chance you will see it." 

Graham said the discovery potentially suggests the presence of other unknown carnivorous plants in nearby wetlands.