Maxsea is a good option. How to Repot a Sundew. He coined the plant’s name when musing over how dew production seemed to increase in hot, sunny weather rather than evaporating; “the Dewe of the Sonne, or Sonnedew.” In Greek, Drosera means “dewy” (note, also the dewy carnivorous species Drosophyllum). Hmm… would these be considered Prince Sundews? The shorter list would include locations around the world where sundews aren’t found. Once pollinated, the pedals will frequently close or fall off and the ovary will begin to swell as seed production begins. Drought brings on die-back to the fuzzy stems until rain returns. On the topic of roots – Drosera regia don’t take kindly to being disturbed, so once established in large pots, leave them be for multiple years. Writing his botanist friend, Asa Gray, Darwin mentioned caring more about sundews than the origin of all species of life on earth. It took Charles Darwin himself to conclude the carnivorous nature of Drosera in his 1875 book Insectivorous Plants wherein he primarily studied Drosera rotundifolia. Fertilizing can burn roots and kill the plant, but advanced growers may foliar feed (applying only to the leaves of the plant) monthly with a diluted (1/4 strength) epiphytic or acid fertilizer. They seek out sandy soils that stay wet-to-waterlogged during the wet season. The 'dew' of Round-leaved sundews once formed the basis of anti-ageing potions as people believed it was a source of youth and virility - the sundew itself glistening and moist even in the most fierce sun. Infestations are best treated early with carnivorous-plant-safe insecticides like Ortho. Like other sticky carnivorous plants, Sundews, Butterworts and Rainbow plants, the Dewy Pine is a voracious hunter. Well, they actually produce seed, also… So, suffice it to say, you can quickly propagate a small carnivorous army of pygmy sundews in cultivation. You'll fall in love with the heart-leafed sundew, Drosera schizandra! The evaporation will help moisten the ambient air. Where to buy native seed and plants … A few tips on how to care for a sundew will have you on your way to enjoying this fascinating plant. Whether you grow them indoors or out, carnivorous sundew plants are excellent for controlling gnats and other tiny insects. Keep the soil moist, and the roots will take hold with the growth point developing into a full plant. Fast & Free shipping on many items! Along with Drosera adelae and Drosera schizandra, it is one of the “Three Sisters from Queensland” as coined by Peter D'Amato in The Savage Garden. Be prepared with fungicide to quickly quell any damp-off (fungus that attacks germinating seeds) flair ups. They have flexible main stems that stop at nothing to grow several feet – climbing over obstacles and using their carnivorous leaves as small, sticky hands to grasp onto adjacent structures for support. Get outdoors for some landscaping or spruce up your garden! What a special plant! They are impressive plants that form stems from which grow long, narrow leaves up to two feet long. Sundews can be as small as a penny or as large as a small bush. Click and drag around the map below for a preview of locations. Roots will sprout from the bottom of the leaves. Use the water tray method and, if grown in terrariums, reduce the photoperiod (length of light throughout a given day) during autumn to promote gemmae production. Connecting Carnivorous Plant Growers since 2008. The plant has stalked glands across its leaves. The plant has tiny arms or stems covered at the tips with sticky filaments. This technique works best with plants like forked sundews, rosetted subtropicals, D. regia, and cape sundews, that have robust, thick root systems. Sundews are dainty, little plants glistening in the sun and much to the dismay of any unsuspecting insect, another notorious carnivorous plant. known as the spoon-leaved sundew because of its' wee spoon-shaped leaves. They produce ground-level basal rosettes and one-or-more stems that can reach 6 inches in height. Any roots that start growing out of the bottom of the pot can be cut off for root cutting propagation. We suggest using something like a toothpick for this. Like other sundews, it is found in fens and bogs. Growing sundews is common in terrariums or other warm, moist areas that mimic their natural bog habitat. Carnivorous plants are easy to grow, but there are a few things to understand before growing them. The bog environment where the plants thrive is surprisingly poor in nutrients, so these plants have become carnivorous to supplement their diet. Cuttings will result in larger plants faster than most seed-grown plants. It’s a 1-2-3 combo of carnivorous cousins! This botanical oddity has been called the worlds most famous carnivorous plant, quite a title! The Latin name literally translates to "spatula shaped." – Woah. Carnivorous plants are plants that capture, kill, and digest animal organisms. With 2 foot (0.6 m) leaves the King Sundew, Drosera regia, has earned its grandiose name. Transplant them when they outgrow their pots. Drosophyllum lusitanicum is the only species in its genus. There is only one King Sundew – Drosera regia (you didn’t think a king would share his throne, did you?). Unlike its sticky cousins, dew drops smell like sweet honey, and actually detach from the plant as an insect comes into contact with them. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! are carnivorous plants with an ingenious way to catch their prey. Please visit our sponsors. Transplant during, but towards the end of, dormancy. I’ve grown many species with great success in direct, sunny Southern California light. The FlytrapCare forum was started in 2008 by Matt Miller out of his love for Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants (CPs). European naturalists have a long and thorough fascination with Sundews, dating all the way back to Henry Lyte’s botanist book “New Herbal,” published in 1578. Luckily, the plants have extremely hearty roots that can survive brief drops to fifteen degrees. To take leaf cuttings, first sterilize a razor blade or sharp shears (bonsai shears work great) using isopropyl alcohol. A monster of a forked sundew, D. binata dichotoma 'Giant' generates forked sundew leaves up to two feet long with four to twelve forks. Do note that the plants will reduce in size, or occasionally die back during winter months, but will regrow from the robust root system during warmer weather. While all are categorized as “temperate” sundews, they’re naturally found in a wide range of locations and climates that means their cold tolerance and length of dormancy also vary. To take root cuttings, remove the sundew from soil and simply cut off 1.5″-3″ of healthy roots. A overview of my entire carnivorous collection, this includes sundews, sarracenia and venus fly traps. Neat. Who knew that you could get rid of some of those pesky gnats where you live, and improve the feng shui of your house all in one fell swoop? The Drosera genus is the most diverse of all carnivorous plants with nearly two hundred different Sundew species and hybrids found globally. Sundews, Drosera sp., are truly beautiful Carnivorous Plants. There are over 90 species of sundew. The multitude of dew drops (healthy plants can have hundreds of dew drops) make the sundew a breathtaking beauty and a sticky death trap for small insects. Drosera capensis, commonly known as the Cape sundew, is a small rosette-forming carnivorous species of perennial sundew native to the Cape in South Africa.Because of its size, easy to grow nature, and the copious amounts of seed it produces, it has become one of the most common sundews in cultivation, and thus, one of the most frequently introduced and naturalised invasive Drosera species. Alternative Title: Drosera Sundew, (genus Drosera), any of the approximately 152 carnivorous plant species of the genus Drosera (family Droseraceae). Shop great deals on Sundew Carnivorous Plant Seeds. Anthurium. Once stratification is complete, move containers to bright but indirect light (avoid overheating), and wait four-to-eight weeks for sprouting. Drosera adelae is one queen from Queensland that can be a crown jewel in any collection. Completely avoid fertilizing Drosera adelae, D. schizandra, and D. prolifera. Sundews are in the genera Drosera and common varieties are often seen in houseplant stores. Sundews (Drosera spp.) Once greenery appears, remove the humidity dome and enjoy your new plants! All boast delicate flowers and carnivorous habits with glittering dewdrops that give them their fascinating appearance. Alternanthera. Carnivorous - Morning Dew Tropical Plants. Keep the cuttings covered with a humidity dome, in bright light, wait several weeks, and viola! Store seeds that won’t immediately be propagated in air-tight jewelers bags or small paper envelopes and refrigerate them. If you’re not living in a tropical paradise, we’d recommend growing them in a well-lit terrarium or in warm-to-hot greenhouses. Drosera adelae, commonly known as the lance-leaved sundew or the Adelaide sundew, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera that is endemic to Queensland, Australia. The sweet-spot to grow the widest variety of Drosera is in Mediterranean, subtropical, and warm-temperate climates. With the bug immobilized, glands on the leaf secrete digestive enzymes and break down the insect’s soft tissues into absorbable nutrients. Your sundew will definitely turn heads and prompt friendly questions if you keep it in an observable place. Once they have a few leaves, you can transplant them from seed trays to permanent pots, but be gentle! Their green and red leaves are covered with glistening droplets of mucilage that sparkle in the sunlight. A variety of sundew with pom-pom-like traps at the end of fuzzy leaf petioles, Woolly Sundews can be found in the warm, tropical climate of Northern Australia. Who needs seeds, right? Ajuga. Fungus can also attack during moist, low-light winter conditions and can be treated with fungicide. Some do better in long-fibered sphagnum moss. The Sundew, (Drosera) are probably the most diverse genus of carnivorous plants in the world. 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It's more commonly called the thread-leaved sundew due to its slender, filamentous leaves that reach towards the sky in an effort to tempt low-altitude insects into taking a detour to Sticky Town. – You do want a miniaturized carnivorous army to do your bidding, right? Many sundews will be fine in one pot for many years. Coastal California windowsills are a great spot. Sundews can produce offshoots and develop into clumping plants. You may feel like a kid in a candy store, go ahead, get excited! Drosera adelae typically grows in the densely shaded margins of the north-eastern Australian rainforests in sandy soils along creek banks or on wet rocks near waterfalls. These child pygmies are clones (genetically identical) of the parent plant, and are the reason you quickly get beautiful clumps of pygmy sundews. "The giant sundew," indeed! Use distilled or reverse osmosis water. Rorella Hill. Erasmus Darwin, Charles Dawrin’s grandfather, hypothesized in 1791 that the dew was a means of protection from predators. For dormancy, let the soil dry out for 2 months, then lightly dampen for one month until growth restarts at which point you’ll want to switch over to the water tray method. The seed pod will take several weeks to mature before viable seed can be collected. Some will actually grow year round in wet conditions and do great in a soil of half peat to half sand. Provide a humidity level of 40 to 60 percent. Sundew flowers vary dramatically in seasonal timing, shape, size, quantity, and the amount of seed produced, but most are beautiful shades of white, pink, or red and all share common reproductive structures. The King’s thick roots frequently sprout offshoot plants of their own free will. This is partially driven by branching root systems and robust seed production, but also from leaves that can, themselves, sprout entirely new plants if they touch soil. For over 30 years, we have grown and sold the widest variety of carnivorous plants in the United States. There are some exceptions, however – varieties like tuberous sundews will rarely produce seed in cultivation, and pygmy sundews can reproduce more prolifically from gemmae than seed. How wrong he was. They produce these traps early in the season. Frequently as easy to grow as Cape sundews, many of this species can be propagated from root cuttings, are tolerant of brief freezes into the 20’s and have thick sprout-happy roots that will regenerate growth points after a freeze kills the crown of the plant. A few tips on how to care for a sundew will have you on your way to enjoying this fascinating plant. Some species of Drosera can be very hearty, proliferating to a point where they become carnivorous weeds popping up where you don’t necessarily want them. The pot must be kept constantly moist and an atmosphere of humidity is best for maximum growth. They're easy to grow, producing bountiful flowers atop long flower stalks and thousands of seeds - often becoming weeds growing amongst your other carnivores. Not to worry – during the wetter winter months, these plant sprout back to life and asexually produce pinhead-sized gemmae (brood bodies) that cluster around the center of the plant. Leaf shape ranges from circular to linear and many combinations in between. For those indoor plants that require dietary supplements, small ants, gnats and wingless fruit flies work well. There are some varieties of Drosera that are more hardy than others. I'm not sure why this sundew isn't more common in collections; it's literally named for its spectacular ability to proliferate. Truly bug nightmare material. Shop a huge online selection at eBay.com. Alocasia. Leaf deformities are sometimes the result of natural causes. Leaf Deformities. Full sun situations suit the plant best, but you can also grow them in dappled light. Brighter conditions will promote brighter coloration in some species, genotype-permitting. The plants prefer acidic soils and are usually where there is a bog or marsh and often grow on top of sphagnum moss. A truly international plant, the Drosera genus is the most diverse of all carnivores with nearly two hundred different Sundew species and hybrids found globally. All of these carnivorous plants in Australia do nothing to fight the stereotype that all wildlife in Australia wants to kill you…. Then we have the bogs of North America and Europe, and southern tips of South American and New Zealand. After sowing, stratify the seeds by providing several weeks of chilly, damp conditions. Cool and warm houses will meet most sundew needs, but consider the origins of your plant and if your greenhouse recreates preferred climate conditions. Tropical sundews grow in Australia, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Each gemma is attached to a tightly-coiled hair that, when struck by a raindrop, launches the gemma (up to several feet!) We find the best method for encouraging root and foliage growth from these cut leaves is to simply float them sticky-side-up on purified water in a closed plastic or glass container. These filaments secrete a substance that will not only catch small prey but will also digest them. There are somewhere around 130 species found on almost every continent of earth. Lay the cut roots horizontally on soil and cover with another 1/2 inch of soil. English sundew (Drosera anglica) is one of 15 carnivorous plant species in Wisconsin. Sundews (Drosera spp.) As long as you keep your plants fed with bugs, they will be happy. From this robust root system sprouts growth points and traps that catch insects to feed energy back into the tuber. Many sundews are easy for the beginner to care for, so if you're a new grower, consider starting with a sticky friend like Drosera capensis. Take into consideration the matured size of your sundew, and if a terrarium is enough space. Growing sundews is common in terrariums or other warm, moist areas that mimic their natural bog habitat. Subtropical species and cape sundews will handsomely adorn sunny windowsills. Nearly all grow in open areas where they get lots of sunlight. Consider repotting every three-to-four years and separating the new tubers that have been produced. This site uses cookies to provide the best user experience possible: Drosera Madagascarensis – Carnivorous plant, Drosera capensis “Montague Pass” GIANT CLONE, Tropical Drosera Capensis, Cape Sundew “Typical”, Tropical Drosera Capensis, Cape Sundew “Alba”, Tropical Drosera Capensis, Cape Sundew “All Red”, Drosera intermedia, Spoonleaf Sundew “NJ Pine Barrens”. This can be inexpensively purchased in most grocery stores, or you can invest in a reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system that hooks up to a sink (bonus – this also provides great drinking water for humans and pets). Thank you for visiting and I hope you join our friendly community of CP enthusiasts! The plant absorbs the buggy goodness straight through the leaf, leaving behind the exoskeleton as a warning to wayward travelers. There are more than 200 species of sundews. Check with your extension office for plant recommendations for your area. Where they differ from pygmies is in their dry weather coping mechanism. We usually have between 1100 to 1500 line items available, so not every plant can be featured! When growing sundews outdoors, till soil completely and mix in sphagnum moss to increase the acidity. The Sundews or Drosera are a large group of carnivorous plants containing over 170 different species found from the tropics to near polar conditions. Plant Gallery The photos on the featured plant page are current photos from our most recent nursery visits. Additional observations from German botanist Dr. W. A. Roth concluded that the tentacles did, in fact, move to increase surface area relative to an insect’s body. Cameron, in northeastern Tasmania. Here, the carnivorous sundew plant growing on the foothills of Mt. I’ve accepted there are are some plants I will only admire from afar, because I don’t want to deal with everything they need. I realize carnivorous plants seem daunting and difficult to those who aren’t familiar with them, and some are! The bug lands on the plant thinking that it has found a sweet meal, but it becomes stuck in the goo and becomes a meal itself! Angel Vine. The Sundews' unique carnivorous diet allows the plant to thrive in this niche by relying on the nitrogen and phosphorus from the insects for its nutrients, that non-carnivorous plants cannot obtain. One may look like teaspoons, another soup spoons... you get the idea. Venus flytraps, American pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, tropical pitcher plants and others - all commercially cultivated for either the curious beginner or the discriminating collector who wants the highest quality plants. Often smaller than a USD penny, these plants frequently clump into small colonies that can be overlooked for moss if you don’t have a magnifying glass. The Sundews traps its prey on its sticky leaves, mostly small insects, making them ideal for catching the fruit flies … Of course, you also find sundews in the tropical wonderlands of Queensland and Brazil. Many Sundews will self-pollinate when the flower closes, but you’ll see better results if you manually assist the process. Growing in Western Australia, they are adapted to warm-temperate to subtropical and Mediterranean-like climates with hot, dry summers and cool winters ranging from 30-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Sundews, or Drosera, are beautiful & deadly carnivorous plants that lure insects with glistening dewdrops. Another hearty Drosera, fork-leafed sundews grow from thick, dark, branching roots that are perfect for root-cutting-based propagation. These leaves produce thick “dew,” and snag just about any insect foolish enough to land on them. From Cape sundews, to subtropical sundews, temperate sundews, fork-leafed sundews, tropical sundews, woolly sundews, pygmy sundews, tuberous sundews, climbing tuberous sundews, fan-leafed tuberous sundews, rosetted tuberous sundews, South African Winter-growing sundews, and the King sundew, each is truly a one-of-a-kind plant with a unique beauty.