Botanical name

Roridula gorgonias

Family

Roridulaceae

Common Name

Vlieebos, Giant Flycatcher
Roridula gorgonias
Roridula gorgonias
Roridula gorgonias
Roridula gorgonias
Roridula gorgonias
Roridula gorgonias

Description

Woody, sparingly branched shrublet 1-2m. Leaves are narrow and crowded at the tips of branches; they are bedecked with sticky resinous hairs which entrap small insects; these insects are killed and devoured by small Pameridea bugs which are specially adapted to live on the plant in a mutualistic pact. The excrement of the bugs is nitrogen-rich and absorbed through the plant leaves. Flowers are pink, up to 2cm across.

Endemic to the Cape Floral Kingdom.

Latin: ros, roris = dew: referring to the sticky hairs; gorgo, gorgonias = referring to Medusa whose head was covered with snakes instead of hair

Habitat

Damp places on mountains - river banks, bogs, marshes

Flower Date

July to October