Carnivorous Plant Seeds - Drosera callistos - Australian Insectivorous Sundew

Drosera callistos

Carnivorous Plant Seeds

Sundews leaves are usually flat with hundreds of tentacles which hold a gland that produces the dew. The dew is very thick and sticky.

When an insect gets stuck to some dew, more tentacles move in to get their dew covered glands against the insect to keep it from escaping.

The glands on top of the tentacles then secrete acids and enzymes which dissolve the insect.

The glands then re-absorb the nutrient rich fluid.

Drosera callistos is a little pygmy sundew that was discovered in southwest Australia by N. Marchant and A. Lowrie in 1992. It forms rosettes with a diameter of 19mm. The leaves go red in color when the plant receives sunlight. This perennial produces 19mm orange flowers which are the biggest of the pygmy sundews. The flower stalks reach 10cm in height and produces 4 to 5 flowers each.