Drosera capillaris - Sundew
Family Droseraceae

Description:

About 80 species of Drosera are found in warmer areas around the world. These are “carnivorous” plants that capture insects with sticky, gland-tipped hairs on their leaves. This species is native to warm areas of North and South America. The flat rosette of reddish leaves stands less than an inch tall with a short spike of pink flowers in early spring. Insects trapped on the leaves provide minerals that are absorbed by the plant.and help it survive in poor soils.

Location:

See this plant along the shores of Lake Oneida.

Size:

Small herbaceous perennial with a rosette of leaves that lay flat on the ground.

Care Instructions:

Light: sun

Water: moist soil

Soil: poor, acidic soil

In northeast Florida, this small plant is rarely cultivated. Plants are not compatible with grade changes and dense turf so they seldom survive in a developed area. Where they grow, they warrant conservation as a botanical curiosity.

Note: this plant is found in areas with low competition from other vegetation