Species Profile Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) Oblong-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia) Appearance/Colour Flat rosette shaped plants. Red stalks and leaves no larger than 2.5 cms in diameter with lime green or yellow centres. Each leaf has a multitude of red hair-like tendrils, long at the edges and reducing in length towards the centre. Each tendril is tipped by a droplet, like dew, which glistens in the sunlight giving these plants their common name. Round-leaved sundew and oblong-leaved sundew can be differentiated by leaf shape. Up to 20cms in height. Flowers June - August producing white or pink flowers on long red stems. Round-leaved sundew © Neal Armour-Chelu (ARC).
Behaviour Insectivorous plants. On contact with the plant, insects become ensnared as the tiny hairs bend around the victim to trap it. The leaf then curls around the insect. The dew drops on the leaves act as digestive juices that dissolve soft parts of the insect’s body before being absorbed by the plant . Small insects are frequently trapped as they lack the power to escape. Sometimes, insects as large as butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies are caught and devoured.
Oblong-leaved sundew in flower © Rob Free (ARC).
Oblong-leaved sundew © Ben Limburn (ARC).
18
Sundew growing amongst sphagnum moss © Chris Dresh (ARC).
Habitat/Where to find them Common in the wetter north and west of the UK. Uncommon across southern England but widespread throughout the New Forest. Heathland, wetland and moorland - present on a number of ARC reserves. Small bare patches of wet mud and the edges of well used tracks where it won’t get overwhelmed by grasses. In and around the edges of boggy or swampy ground. The rarest species, the great sundew (Drosera anglica), grows in very wet areas in the middle of the bogs.
