Tippitiwichet · CC BY 2.0
About
The Cape sundew, *Drosera capensis*, is a highly variable and popular perennial rosette-forming plant, notable for its dramatically mobile leaves that curl around captured prey. It is considered a relatively large and 'showy' species that flowers readily, making it a favorite among hobbyists.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant forms a rosette typically 10–15 cm in diameter, with narrow, oblong leaves held semi-erect. The leaves are covered in stalked glands ('tentacles') that secrete sticky mucilage. The petiole is a narrow trapezoid with fine, translucent white hairs. The lamina has long, glandular hairs around the margins, and the plant has conspicuous stipules that are brown and roughly triangular, measuring 6–8 mm long and 4–5 mm wide. Flowers are five-petalled, typically pale purple, with petals measuring 8–15 mm long.
Distribution & habitat
Native to the Cape region of South Africa, where it grows in permanently wet, nutrient-poor habitats.
Ecology
It traps and digests arthropod prey using sticky mucilage secreted by stalked glandular trichomes ('tentacles'). When prey is detected, the marginal tentacles bend toward the center, and the leaf blade itself can slowly bend inwards, 'rolling' around the prey to facilitate digestion.
Cultivation notes
It was cultivated in Europe as a curiosity from the mid-18th century and is now one of the most widely-grown sundews.
History & etymology
First recorded in the late 17th century, *D. capensis* was one of the five species included in the first edition of Carl Linnaeus' Species plantarum.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 0–1,000 m
- Altitude Class
- intermediate
- Native To
- South Africa
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
- Temperature
- Day 18–28°C / Night 12–20°C
- Humidity
- 40–80%
- Notes
- Nearly indestructible beginner sundew. Self-seeds readily.
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