Re: Roridula Gorgonias

Christopher Waldrop (WALDROP@library.vanderbilt.edu)
Mon, 14 Nov 1994 10:29:13 -0600 (CST)

> Has the nutritional status of Roridula (Roridulaceae or Byblidaceae)
> been confirmed? Is it getting nutrients from the insects it
> traps, or is it just "fly paper"? (sometime, I've gotta go see
> one for myself!)

The only picture I've seen of R. gorgonias was a black and white
photo. It looked like a small version of Drosophyllum with shorter
leaves.
The last I heard (Juniper, Robins, and Joel, 1989) Roridula gains no
nutritional value directly from the insects it catches, but swarms of
tiny spiders do chop the insects into pieces, and this may help to
supplement the relatively poor soil.