The drosera payitha, or dewtrap tree, is a keystone plant in the swamps of Murkmir. Keystone plants provide food, water, and shelter for many animals. Dewtrap trees are carnivorous plants that eat bugs that land on their flowers to absorb nutrients. This factor is crucial to the environment, as without plants like dewtraps, the swamps would be rampant with diseases caused by an overpopulation of bugs. Click here to learn More about keystone species. Click here to learn More about carnivorous plants.
Like many species of swamp-growing trees (such as mangroves and cypresses), dewtraps have long, thick roots that help anchor them in place. Smaller roots can be problematic with the amount of water in these environments; overly soft soil and high water levels make it easy for plants to fall or get ripped out if they do not have the proper support. Some of their roots stay above ground, which helps them absorb oxygen to help produce food. Click here to learn More about aerial roots.
Dewtrap trees grow to heights of 4-5 feet, making them unusually stout. They grow short because most of their pollinators are ground-dwelling.
The long, hollow flowers of a dewtrap tree produce nectar and pollen inside, while tiny, sticky hairs on the outside trap small insects for food. Each hair has a small drop of sweet-smelling nectar to entice bugs to land on them (similar to real-life sundews). This structure evolved because a long and hollow flower allows vertebrate pollinators low to the ground easy access while digesting bugs that fly or crawl on top. The reason that dewtraps are carnivorous in the first place is because of the swamp’s poor soil quality. While carnivorous plants can still photosynthesize, the soil does not have enough nutrients to support the tree’s growth, and it must acquire them by other means (such as trapping and digesting bugs.) Click here to learn More about sundews.
Like most carnivorous plants, dewtrap trees feature bright red coloration on their flowers. Contrary to most camouflage in animals, this color means to attract creatures—insects are drawn to red, making it great bait on top of the plant's nectar. Click here to learn more about the colors of carnivorous plants.