About
The English sundew, *Drosera anglica*, is a widely distributed temperate perennial herb notable for its rosette of sticky, mucilage-covered leaves. It is thought to have originated from a fertile amphidiploid hybrid between *D. rotundifolia* and *D. linearis*, giving it a unique evolutionary history.
Field notes
Morphology
It forms an upright, stemless rosette of generally linear-spatulate leaves, which are densely covered with stalked reddish mucilaginous glands. The lamina measures 15–35 mm long and is held semi-erect by a long petiole, resulting in a total leaf size of 30–95 mm. The plant is green, turning red in bright light. In most populations, it forms winter resting buds called hibernacula. Flowering occurs in the summer, producing white flowers with 8–12 mm petals and black, roundish, spindle-shaped seeds.
Distribution & habitat
Generally circumboreal, it is found across high latitudes globally, but also occurs farther south in Japan, southern Europe, and the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. Its natural habitat includes 12 U.S. states, including Alaska, and 11 Canadian provinces and territories, with an altitudinal range from 5 metres to at least 2,000 metres.
Ecology
The plant uses stalked mucilaginous glands (tentacles) to attract, trap, and digest small arthropods, primarily insects like flies, but also larger prey such as small butterflies, damselflies, and dragonflies. The initial contact causes the tentacles to bend toward the prey, and the plant can further bend the leaf blade to maximize digestion. The root system is weak, and the plant obtains necessary nutrients, such as nitrogen, from trapped insects.
History & etymology
The species was first described and named by William Hudson in 1778. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque proposed moving it to a new genus, *Adenopa*, in 1837.
Conservation
In Minnesota, it is listed as a threatened species due to its limited small populations and specific microhabitats.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 0–1,500 m
- Altitude Class
- intermediate
- Native To
- United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Temperature
- Summer 18–26°C / Winter dormancy -5–8°C
- Humidity
- 55–85%
- Notes
- Long-leaved temperate sundew. Natural hybrid of D. rotundifolia × D. linearis.
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