Sundews and Butterworts of Japan

Unlike carnivorous plant hotspots such as Australia or South Africa, Japan is a volcanic, nutrient-rich archipelago - seemingly devoid of the conditions in which carnivorous plants would normally thrive. Yet, Japan is home to a diverse range of sticky-leaf carnivorous plants. Through the talk we will delve into the diversity of Drosera and Pinguicula of Japan, how many of them arrived and spread across the country, their diverse ecologies, and the conservation biology of a few key species.

Ken Kwak is an ecologist employed at Hokkaido University. Although his academic research focuses on the ecology of parasites and zoonotic diseases, in his private life he’s a keen amateur botanist and horticulturalist. He got his first Venus flytrap at age 7, and has been growing carnivorous plants ever since. He grew up in Australia before leaving to live in Singapore in his early 20s and in 2022 he settled in Japan permanently and now calls that wonderful country home.


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