Sundews   GENUS Drosera

Drosera capillaris

 Commonly found in the moist sand surface throughout the coastal savanna of the southeastern U.S., D. capillaris often grows in company of other carnivorous plants in the region, such as pitcher plants, butterworts, and terrestrial bladderworts. The whole plant assumes a bright reddish color in the sun. A long petiole (leaf stem) connects to an oval-shaped leaf blade covered by tentacles.

Growing in full sun during the sizzling Florida summer, the soil appears dry on the surface, but does contain sufficient moisture for the sundews. Depending on the condition, the plants raise their leaves from the ground. The plants appear to become larger in this type of condition, sometimes reaching 5 cm or more in diameter.

In the southeastern U.S., from Texas all the way to North Carolina and beyond, this sundew is found practically anywhere if there is sufficient moisture in the soil.

Drosera brevifolia

This is a small sundew from the southeastern U.S. having a distribution similar that of D. capillaris. In addition to its small er rosette (2 cm across), it is not nearly as common as an almost-omnipresent D. capillaris. Sometimes referred to as a dwarf sundew, D. brevifolia produces a disproportionately large flower (1 cm across) on a short flower scape.

Introduction  Venus Flytrap  Sundews  Pitcher Plants  Cobra Plant  Butterworts  Bladderworts