Acquiring their common name from the prismatic effect of sunlight passing through the sticky droplets on their leaves and stems, the rainbow plants are carnivorous Australian plants similar to sundews. The carnivorous nature of rainbow plants has been questioned, but some species of the plant do indeed trap insects in order to digest them.
Description
The rainbow plants belong to the genus Byblis, and all species of the plants have long, thin leaves covered with hairs that secrete a sticky substance that snags insects. Rainbow plants range from 6 inches to just over 2 feet in height. Its five-petaled flowers are usually purple or purplish pink, but some plants produce white flowers. The seed produced by the flower drops to the ground after it dries following the wet season, and germination is often triggered by brush fires during the dry season.
Species
The species of Byblis are divided into two groups based on whether they are perennials or annuals. B. gigantea and the recently described B. lamellata are perennial plants that die back during the dry season and emerge from their underground rhizomes in the next growing season, while B. liniflora, B. rorida, B. filifolia and B. aquatica are annuals that die at the onset of the dry season, with new plants developing from seeds at the beginning of the next growing season. B. gigantea grows up to 28 inches high and often grows in thickets. The annual species tend to grow in a more sprawling manner.
Habitat
Byblis is native to Australia. B. gigantea grows in the area around Perth in southwestern Australia, and the annual species range through Queensland in northeastern Australia. All species grow in boggy or marshy habitats with pronounced wet and dry seasons, and they tend to prefer sandy soils.
Drosera
Byblis species closely resemble species of the Drosera genus, the sundews, but there are key differences. Structurally, the flowers of Byblis differ from those of Drosera, having stamens that curve toward the outside of the flower unlike those of Drosera. The carnivorous habit of the plants is different as well. While the leaves of the sundew curl around trapped insects, Byblis shows no predatory reaction or movement when insects become ensnared in its hairs -- they are slowly digested and absorbed in place.
Tags: annual species, Byblis species, during season, gigantea grows, , next growing, next growing season