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). 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.