Sticky False Asphodel

Triantha glutinosa

The Sticky False Asphodel is a unique plant with sticky leaves that can trap tiny insects! It grows in wet areas and has beautiful white flowers that bloom in the summer.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Sticky False Asphodel has a slender green stem densely covered in glistening, sticky red-brown glands. Its small, star-shaped flowers are creamy-white to pale yellow, clustered at the top of the stalk, and its narrow, grass-like leaves are found mostly at the base.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassLiliopsidaOrderAlismatalesFamilyTofieldiaceaeGenusTriantha

Sticky False Asphodel

Interesting facts

It can grow in places where most plants struggle because it gets extra food from trapped insects!

Scientists only recently confirmed this sticky plant is actually a secret meat-eater!

The 'False Asphodel' part of its name means it looks like another flower but isn't!

This hardy plant can thrive high up in mountains, even above the tree line in some areas!

Special abilities

Sticky False Asphodel can trap tiny insects on its stems because its stalks are covered in glue-like hairs, helping it get extra nutrients.

This plant has a clever trick: its sticky insect traps are separate from its flower pollen, so it doesn't accidentally eat its own pollinators!

It has a superpower to absorb heavy metals like zinc from the soil, cleaning up its environment while it grows!

Measurements & details

Height: 10-50 cm
Flower Size: 0.5-1.5 cm
Bloom Season: Summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eats

Fruit fly

Drosophila melanogaster

traps tiny insects on its sticky stem for nutrients

eats

Silky ant

Formica fusca

lures and catches small ants with its glandular hairs

pollinates

Two-form Bumblebee

Bombus bifarius

flowers attract bees for nectar and pollen collection

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Cluster Flower

Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.

Summer Blooming

Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Carnivorous Plant

Carnivorous plants are predatory flowering plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.