Petr Dlouhý · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
One of the most widespread sundew species, *Drosera rotundifolia* is notable for its circumboreal distribution, thriving in bogs and fens across Europe, North America, and Asia. Its leaves are covered in sticky, red glandular hairs that trap insects, allowing it to survive in nutrient-poor, acidic wetlands.
Field notes
Morphology
The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, featuring narrow, hairy petioles supporting round laminae. The upper surface is densely covered with red glandular hairs that secrete a sticky mucilage. A typical plant has a diameter of 3 to 5 centimeters, and the inflorescence can reach 5 to 25 centimeters in height. Flowers are white or pink, five-petalled, and produce light brown, slender, tapered seeds.
Distribution & habitat
It has a circumboreal distribution, found in almost all of Europe (including the British Isles, France, and the Baltic countries), large parts of North America (including the Pacific Northwest and Appalachian Mountains), and Asia (including Siberia, Japan, and parts of China). It is typically found in bogs, marshes, and fens.
Ecology
The plant traps insects using glistening drops of sugary mucilage covering its leaves. It uses enzymes to dissolve trapped prey, extracting ammonia and other nutrients from their bodies to replace nitrogen absorbed from the soil. Studies suggest the plant can adapt by using inorganic nutrients when insect prey is limited.
Cultivation notes
To be grown successfully, the wild species requires a substantial period of winter dormancy during which it forms hibernacula. However, the cultivar *D. rotundifolia* 'Charles Darwin' can be grown more successfully without this period of dormancy.
Conservation
The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN red list, though specific regions like Illinois and Iowa in North America are considered endangered.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 0–2,000 m
- Altitude Class
- intermediate
- Native To
- United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Japan
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Temperature
- Summer 18–26°C / Winter dormancy 0–8°C
- Humidity
- 50–85%
- Notes
- Temperate sphagnum bogs across the Northern Hemisphere. Requires winter dormancy.
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