Editing Droseraceae (section)

==Description==
Droseraceae are [[carnivorous plant|carnivorous herbaceous plants]] that may be annuals or perennials.  Their leaves are alternate and [[Glossary of botanical terms#adaxial|adaxially]] [[Glossary of botanical terms#circinate|circinate]], with at least one leaf surface containing hairs with mucilage-producing glands at the tip.  Their flowers are bisexual, usually with three [[carpels]] and five [[sepal]]s, [[petal]]s and [[stamen]]s.  Their pollen grains are [[Glossary of botanical terms#triporate|triporate]] or multiporate and released in [[Glossary of botanical terms#tetrad|tetrads]].  Despite being carnivorous, their flowers are insect-pollinated, typically with white to purple flowers that close at night.  They produce small seeds that are dispersed by wind and water.<ref name="Judd-2018">{{Cite book|title=Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach|last1=Judd|first1=Walter|last2=Campbell|first2=Christopher|last3=Kellogg|first3=Elizabeth|last4=Stevens|first4=Peter|last5=Donoghue|first5=Michael|publisher=Sinauer Associates|year=2018|isbn=978-1-60535-389-0|location=MA, USA|pages=459}}</ref>

Most of the members of Droseraceae are contained in the genus ''[[Drosera]]'', the sundews. Both ''[[Dionaea (plant)|Dionaea]]'' and ''[[Aldrovanda]]'' have only one extant species. ''Drosera'' species trap prey by secreting a sticky substance from hairs on their leaves. ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' both use snap-traps that close rapidly when the leaves are disturbed. ''Dionaea'' is terrestrial, while ''Aldrovanda'' is strictly aquatic.  Like carnivorous plants of other families, the Droseraceae are able to supplement their nutrient intake, especially that of nitrogen, by capturing and digesting small animals such as insects.  In this way, these plants are able to thrive in nutrient-deficient areas, such as [[sphagnum bog]]s.

===''Drosera''===
''Drosera'' is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, and individual species vary extensively in their specific morphology. Common to all members of ''Drosera'' are highly modified leaves lined with tentacle-like glandular [[trichome]]s.  At the end of each trichome, a bead of highly viscous [[mucilage]] is secreted, which resembles a drop of dew.  The mucilage is a fairly pure aqueous solution of acidic polysaccharides with high molecular weights, which makes the mucilage not only highly viscous, but also very sticky,<ref name ="rost">{{cite journal | last1=Rost | first1=Karl | last2=Schauer | first2=Roland | title=Physical and chemical properties of the mucin secreted by ''Drosera capensis'' | journal=Phytochemistry | volume=16 | issue=9 | date=1977 | doi=10.1016/S0031-9422(00)88783-X | pages=1365–1368 | bibcode=1977PChem..16.1365R | url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S003194220088783X }}</ref>  so much so, a single drop of mucilage may be stretched to lengths of up to a meter and cover one million times its original surface area.<ref name ="rost"/><ref name="zhang">{{cite journal | last1=Zhang | first1=Mingjun | last2=Lenaghan | first2=Scott C. | last3=Xia | first3=Lijin | last4=Dong | first4=Lixin | last5=He | first5=Wei | last6=Henson | first6=William R. | last7=Fan | first7=Xudong | title=Nanofibers and nanoparticles from the insect-capturing adhesive of the Sundew (''Drosera'') for cell attachment | journal=Journal of Nanobiotechnology | volume=8 | date=2010-08-18 | issn=1477-3155 | pmid=20718990 | pmc=2931452 | doi=10.1186/1477-3155-8-20 | doi-access=free | page=20}}</ref>  Insects and other prey animals are attracted by the smell of this mucilage and become stuck in it.   Such snares are termed "flypaper traps", but the trapping mechanism of sundews is often erroneously described as "passive".  In fact, sundew traps are quite active and sensitive, and the disturbance of one or a few trichomes quickly triggers an action potential that stimulates the rapid movement of other trichomes toward the prey.  The leaf then curls in on itself, enveloping the prey for digestion.<ref name="williams">{{ citation | title = Comparative physiology of the Droseraceae sensu stricto – How do tentacles bend and traps close? | year = 2002 | author = Williams, S.E. | journal = Proceedings of the 4th International Carnivorous Plant Conference | pages = 77–81 |url=https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/articles/ICPS2002confp77_81.pdf}}</ref>

Four ''Drosera'' subgenera are recognized today: subgenus ''Regiae'' and subgenus ''Arcturia'' are each monotypic (''D. regia'' and ''D. arcturi,'' respectively), and the remaining ''Drosera'' are divided into two clades, subgenus ''Ergaleium'' and subgenus ''Drosera''.<ref name="Fleischmann-2018">{{cite book|last1=Fleischmann|first1=A.|chapter=Systematics and evolution of droseraceae|date=2018|hdl=20.500.11937/70040|title=Carnivorous Plants: Physiology, Ecology, and Evolution|pages=45–57|language=en|isbn=978-0-19-877984-1|last2=Cross|first2=Adam|last3=Gibson|first3=R.|last4=Gonella|first4=P.|last5=Dixon|first5=Kingsley | doi=10.1093/oso/9780198779841.003.0004}}</ref>

===''Dionaea''===
''[[Dionaea muscipula]]'', better known as the [[Venus flytrap]], is a globally famous carnivorous plant and according to [[Charles Darwin]], "one of the most wonderful in the world."<ref name ="darwin">{{cite book| title = Insectivorous Plants | year = 1875 | author = Darwin, C. | publisher = John Murray | location = London, UK | url=http://darwin-online.org.uk }}</ref>  The leaves of ''Dionaea'' are also highly modified and form a "snap-trap" that quickly shuts when a stimulus is detected.  Three large trichomes extend outward on the inner surface of the trap.  Two of these three hairs must be stimulated within a certain amount of time to trigger the trap.  The trap closes as the result of a flipping of the trap lobes from a position where the exterior of the trap is concave to one where the exterior is convex.  This movement can begin as soon as 0.4 seconds after stimulation and can be completed after one second.<ref name="williams"/>

===''Aldrovanda''===
''[[Aldrovanda vesiculosa]]'', also called the waterwheel plant, is a free-floating, rootless, aquatic plant.<ref>{{cite iucn |author=Cross, A. |author2=Adamec, L. |year=2020 |errata=2025 |title=''Aldrovanda vesiculosa'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T162346A275442310 |doi= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref>  It is less well-known than its relative ''Dionaea muscipula'', but the two have similar trap structures.  In 1875, Darwin described ''Aldrovanda'' as "a miniature aquatic ''Dionaea''".<ref name="darwin" />  The trap of ''Aldrovanda'' is aquatic and is smaller and faster than that of ''Dionaea''.<ref name="williams"/>  In addition, while two stimuli are required to close a trap in ''Dionaea'', only one is required in ''Aldrovanda''.  The trap of ''Aldrovanda'' closes about ten times faster than that of ''Dionaea''.<ref name="williams"/>