Sundew Drosera filiformis
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Sundew:
- Phonetic Spelling
- dro-SEY-rah fil-ih-FOR-mis
- Description
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Sundew is a carnivorous plant that is capable of photosynthesis but acquires most of its nutrients through the digestion of insects. It has lavender-rose flowers on a leafless stalk rising from erect, thread-like, sticky, basal leaves that unroll in spirals. It is easy to cultivate and will form clumps which can be divided while dormant.
This striking member of the sundew family is distinctive, with its stringy leaves covered with glistening droplets of sticky exudate. Insects trapped in the sticky hairs are digested by plant enzymes. Southern plants are larger than the northern ones and the Florida Sundew has red stems. Varieties grow from Canada to Florida but Sundew is losing its habitat and becoming rare.
Plant in full sun with a planting mix of whole fiber sphagnum moss or a mix of equal parts peat moss and coarse vermiculite or sharp sand. They require constant moisture and some require winter dormancy for longevity. It can be grown in bog gardens or containers.
Habitat: Margins of natural pools in pinelands, especially clay-based Carolina bays
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'California Sunset'
- 'Devil's Dozen'
- 'California Sunset'
- 'California Sunset', 'Devil's Dozen'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'California Sunset'
- 'Devil's Dozen'
- 'California Sunset'
- 'California Sunset', 'Devil's Dozen'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Drosera
- Species:
- filiformis
- Family:
- Droseraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Nova Scotia to Eastern U.S.A
- Distribution:
- CT , DE , MA , MD , NC , NJ , NY , PA , RI Canada: NS
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 4 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 1 in. - 0 ft. 2 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Carnivorous
- Perennial
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Description:
- Displays in August
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Head
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- White, pink, or scarlet flowers on 6-12 in. stalk, June, above a rosette of basal leaves; open for several hours in the morning.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Description:
- Usually 4-8 leaves studded with dozens of slender, crimson or green-tipped filaments. Glands secrete a tiny droplet of clear mucilaginous substance on the ends of tiny tentacles that trap insects. Traps unfold 4-6 days after trapping an insect and die after 2-4 closings.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Water Garden
- Design Feature:
- Specimen
