''Byblis'' ( ) is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of carnivorous plants, sometimes termed the rainbow plants for the attractive appearance of their

mucilage Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of m ...

-covered leaves in bright sunshine. Native to Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

, it is the only genus in the family Byblidaceae. The first species in the genus was described by the English botanist

Richard Anthony Salisbury Richard Anthony Salisbury, FRS (born Richard Anthony Markham; 2 May 1761 – 23 March 1829) was a British botanist. While he carried out valuable work in horticultural and botanical sciences, several bitter disputes caused him to be ostracised ...

in 1808. Eight species are now recognized (see below). ''Byblis'' species look very similar to ''

Drosera ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginou ...

'' and ''

Drosophyllum ''Drosophyllum'' ( , rarely ) is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species ''Drosophyllum lusitanicum'', commonly known as Portuguese sundew or dewy pine. In appearance, it is similar to the related genus ''Drosera'' (the sun ...

'', but are distinguished by their

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, with five curved stamens off to one side of the pistil. These genera are in fact not closely related; modern classifications place ''Byblis'' in the

Lamiales The order Lamiales (also known as the mint order) are an order in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It includes about 23,810 species, 1,059 genera, and is divided into about 25 families. These families include Acanthaceae, Big ...

, while the

sundew ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginou ...

s and ''Drosophyllum'' are now placed in the

Caryophyllales Caryophyllales ( ) is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants that includes the cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, beets, and many carnivorous plants. Many members are succulent, having fleshy stems or leaves. The betalai ...

Plant characteristics

All species of the genus form upright growth supported by a weak, fibrous root system. The genus can be divided into two groups or "complexes": The ''B. liniflora'' complex and the ''B. gigantea'' complex (see below).

Leaves

The leaves of all species are round in cross section and highly elongated, tapering at the end. The surface of the leaves is densely studded with glandular hairs which secrete a

mucilaginous Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of ...

substance from their tip. These serve to attract small

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, which upon touching the sticky secretions are ensnared. Unless they are strong enough to escape, the insect prey either die of exhaustion or

asphyxiate Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...

as the mucilage envelops them and clogs their spiracles. Unlike the sundews, however, ''Byblis'' can move neither their tentacles nor the leaves themselves to aid trapping or digestion. As a result, they are grouped among the "passive flypaper traps" along with ''

Pinguicula ''Pinguicula'', commonly known as the butterworts, is a genus of carnivorous flowering plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. They use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition ...

'', ''

'', '' Roridula'', '' Stylidium'' and '' Triphyophyllum peltatum''. Along with the stalked mucilaginous glands, the leaves are also equipped with

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

glands, which assumedly are responsible for the secretion of the digestive juices. Sessile glands are five to ten times as numerous as the stalked glands. Byblis filifolia flora

Flowers

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

in this genus are borne singly at the end of unbranching, leaf-like

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s which emerge from the leaf axils. The five-petaled flowers are generally purple to pale violet, though ''B. gigantea'' and ''B. filifolia'' can sometimes produce white flowers. Except for the self-fertile ''B. liniflora'', all species require pollen from other individuals for

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

. The pollen release of ''B. gigantea'' and ''B. lamellata'' is only triggered by the

resonance frequency Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscillat ...

of the wings of a landing pollinator, helping ensure cross-pollination with other individuals. The flowers of ''Byblis'' start to bloom in early spring and last until late summer. Byblis liniflora capsule2

Fruit and seeds

Fertilized flowers mature to form an egg-shaped, two-parted seed capsule. As the seed capsule dries out it cracks open (dehisces), dropping the

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

on the ground (see gravity dispersal). The black seeds are generally round and often bear webbed surface markings, although those of ''B. lamellata'' are strongly ridged (se

. The germination of many species is brought on by bush fires after the dry period; pyrogenic chemicals in the smoke are responsible for triggering germination.

Distribution and habitat

All ''Byblis'' species are native to Australia. ''B. gigantea'' and ''B. lamellata'' are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

region of southwest Australia, while the species making up the ''B. liniflora'' complex are found only in north Australia. The exception here is ''B. liniflora'' itself, whose distribution extends into southern

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. Like many

carnivorous plants Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from photosynthesis ...

, ''Byblis'' species usually grow in bogs and

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es. They generally prefer seasonally wet sandy soil in partial or direct sunlight with temperatures between ~ 5-40 °C (40-105 °F).

Environmental status

As native plants of Australia, all ''Byblis'' species are protected. Until the year 2000, they were also given international protection under

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

appendix II, but were removed from the list when Australia entered the CITES agreement. Since then trade of the genus has been unregulated outside of Australia. However, due to the sensitivity of the plant, interest in the genus has been restricted to a small portion of the carnivorous plant hobbyist community. The majority of plant material sold today is produced in cultivation, with the annual ''B. filifolia'' and ''B. liniflora'' being the most common. Most of the other species must be grown from seed, which is often collected from the wild for this purpose. The West Australian species ''B. gigantea'' und ''B. lamellata'' are being threatened by habitat destruction for

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

from cities such as

. Particularly damaging is the draining of wet habitats to produce arable land. ''B. gigantea'' is on the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

and is considered critically endangered.

Carnivorous or protocarnivorous

The status of the genus as a truly carnivorous plant has been repeatedly put into question. In their natural habitat, all species have been observed playing host to live bugs of the genus '' Setocoris'', which nourished themselves by eating prey caught by the plants. Following this discovery it was assumed that, as with the genus '' Roridula'', the plants do not actually digest their prey themselves, rather relying on the bugs to do that. The plants, it was reasoned, benefited by absorbing nutrients from the excrements of the bugs, either through their leaves or through the ground. An indirect digestion of these nutrients by a

chitinase Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14, chitodextrinase, 1,4-β-poly-N-acetylglucosaminidase, poly-β-glucosaminidase, β-1,4-poly-N-acetyl glucosamidinase, poly ,4-(N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide)glycanohydrolase, (1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan glycano ...

producing

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from t ...

was even proposed. It was not until 2005 that direct digestion of insect prey by enzymes secreted by the sessile glands of ''B. filifolia'' was proven. Soon thereafter similar results were found with ''B. liniflora''. These results clearly place this genus among the true carnivorous plants.

Systematics

Molecular genetics studies have placed the genus in the order

. While its placement within the order is still unclear, it is closely related to Martyniaceae,

Lentibulariaceae Lentibulariaceae is a family of carnivorous plants containing three genera: ''Genlisea'', the corkscrew plants; ''Pinguicula'', the butterworts; and ''Utricularia'', the bladderworts. The genera ''Polypompholyx'' (two species of pink petticoats ...

as well as

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Gesnerioideae), wi ...

. For a time, the

'' Roridula'' was also assigned to the family Byblidaceae. Since that time, however, it has been placed into its own family, Roridulaceae. Traditionally the genus was divided into only two species, namely ''B. gigantea'' and ''B. liniflora''. Further species were described in the 1980s, particularly through the work of the Australian botanist

Allen Lowrie Allen Lowrie (10 October 1948 - 30 August 2021) was a Western Australian botanist. He was recognised for his expertise on the genera ''Drosera'' and '' Stylidium''.Council of Heads of Australasian HerbariaResources of Australian Herbaria: Western ...

. Eight species are currently recognized: * '' Byblis aquatica'' (annual, scrambling stem up to , semiaquatic habitats) * '' Byblis filifolia'' (annual, up to , anthers longer than filaments) * '' Byblis gigantea'' (perennial, up to , seeds with honeycomb pattern) * '' Byblis guehoi'' * ''

Byblis lamellata ''Byblis lamellata'' is a carnivorous plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the isl ...

'' (perennial, up to , deeply ridged seeds) * '' Byblis liniflora'' (annual, up to , anthers shorter than filaments) * '' Byblis pilbarana'' * '' Byblis rorida'' (annual, up to , heavily set with glandular tentacles)

Subdivision of the genus

''Byblis liniflora'' complex

The four species of this complex, ''B. liniflora'', ''B. rorida'', ''B. filifolia'' and ''B. aquatica'', are

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

herbaceous plants that reach a height of and a maximum leaf length of . These species grow from seedlings to flowering plants in only a few months, setting seed and dying with the onset of the dry season. The original haploid

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

count of this complex is x=8. The diploid number is therefore 2n=16, whereas the

tetraploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...

species ''B. liniflora'' is 2n=32.

''Byblis gigantea'' complex

The remaining two species, ''B. lamellata'' und ''B. gigantea'', make up what is known as the ''B. gigantea'' complex. These perennial species are both

to Southwest Australia, and reach heights of . Unlike the annual members of the ''B. liniflora'' complex, these species survive the dry season by dying back to an underground rhizome, out of which they emerge come fall. The leaves of this complex can reach in length. The base chromosome count of the complex is x=9; since both species are diploid, their chromosome count is 2n=18.

Paleobotany

In the year 2004 a single fossil of a seed, resembling that of members of the modern day ''B. liniflora'' complex, was discovered in south Australia dating from the middle of the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

epoch. The species was assigned to the Byblidaceae as a

parataxon Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships. Form classification, generally restricted to palaeontology, reflects uncertainty; the goal of s ...

of the genus. The sole specimen was unfortunately destroyed in a lab accident shortly after being photographed.

Etymology

The Latin generic name "''Byblis''" originates from a goddess from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

, of whom

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

wrote in his ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

'' (IX, l. 454–664).

Byblis In Greek mythology, Byblis or Bublis (Ancient Greek: Βυβλίς) was a daughter of Miletus. Her mother was either Tragasia, daughter of Celaenus; Parthenius, ''Erotica Pathemata'' 11 Cyanee, daughter of the river-god Meander, or Eidothea, d ...

, niece of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

, fell deeply in love with her twin brother Caunus. At his rejection of her advances, she let forth an endless stream of glistening tears, eventually literally transforming into a spring. The droplets lining the leaves of the ''Byblis'' are said to resemble those tears. The English vernacular name - "rainbow plants" - also denotes the mucilaginous droplets which, under the right lighting conditions and viewing angle, sparkle in a rainbow of colors.

References

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent German-language Wikipedia article (retrieved 1 December 2006). * Barthlott, Wilhelm; Porembski, Stefan; Seine, Rüdiger; Theisen, Inge: ''Karnivoren'', Stuttgart, 2004, * Lowrie, Allen: '' Carnivorous Plants of Australia - Vol. 3'', Nedlands, Western Australia, 1998 * Lowrie, Allen; Conran, John G.: ''A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Byblis (Byblidaceae) In Northern Australia'', Nuytsia 12(1):59-74, 1998 * Lowrie, Allen; Conran, John G.; Moyle-Croft, Jessica: ''A Revision of Byblis (Byblidaceae) In South-Western Australia'', Nuytsia 15(1):11-19, 2002 * Conran, John G.; Houben, Andreas; Lowrie, Allen: ''Chromosome numbers in Byblidaceae'', Aust. J. Bot., 2002, 50, 583-586 * Hartmeyer, Siegfried: ''Carnivory of Byblis Revisited—A Simple Method for Enzyme Testing on Carnivorous Plants'',

Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. History and editorship The newsle ...

, 26, 39–45, 1997 * Hartmeyer, Siegfried: ''Carnivory in Byblis Revisited II: The Phenomenon of Symbiosis on Insect Trapping Plants'',

, 27, 110–113, 1998 *Plachno, B. J.; Jankun, A.: ''Phosphatase Activity in Glandular Structures of Carnivorous Plant Traps.'', Internationaler Botanischer Kongress 2005 in Wien, P1716, The Jagiellonian Univ., Inst. of Botany, Dept. of Plant Cytology and Embryology, Kraków,Poland.

External links

Carnivorous Plant FAQ on ''Byblis''

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061101095504/http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/byblidac.htm The family Byblidaceaein

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

.
Photos of ''Byblis'' in the wild

Botanical Society of America, ''Byblis'' - the Rainbow Plants
{{Taxonbar, from=Q840423 Lamiales genera Australasian realm flora