Genlisea Aurea - Characteristics

Characteristics

G. aurea is a perennial herb that forms small, compact rosettes composed of nearly linear leaves about 2 mm wide. Leaves are typically 5-50 mm in length, but most of that length, including the petiole, is hidden beneath the soil. The rosettes can grow to be as big as 5 cm wide. It has no true roots and instead has highly modified subterranean leaves that act as the carnivorous trapping mechanism.

The up to 40 cm tall inflorescence produces one to three flowers at its apex that are typically 15-20 mm long and are the largest of the yellow-flowered species. Each inflorescence can produce up to a total of eleven flowers. In its natural habitat, G. aurea can be found flowering year-round. The flowers and the scapes are densely covered in glandular trichomes.

The genomes of several species in the genus Genlisea were studied in 2006. According to the study, prior to its publication the smallest known angiosperm (flowering plant) genome was that of Arabidopsis thaliana at 157 Megabase pairs (Mbp). With a diploid chromosome number of around 52 (2n = ca. 52), G. aurea now holds the distinction of having the second smallest known angiosperm genome size at 63.6 Mbp. The smallest individual chromatids from mitotic anaphase are just 2.1 Mbp and therefore have a size smaller than some bacterial chromosomes, such as the approximate 4 Mbp of Escherichia coli. G. margaretae has the smallest known angiosperm genome at 63.4 Mbp.