Drosera cuneifolia Seeds - Indigenous Insectivorous Carnivorous Sundew Plant

Drosera cuneifolia Seeds

Carnivorous Sundew

Drosera commonly known as the sundews comprises one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 171 species around the world. The genus includes annuals and perennials, large and small plants, and denizens of tropical, temperate, and polar habitats. Some of the showiest species are from the botanically rich Cape Province of South Africa. They should not be confused with the ever popular Venus Fly Trap, Dionaea muscipula. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which they grow. Both the botanical name and the English common name refer to the glistening drops of mucilage at the tip of each tentacle that resemble drops of morning dew. Drosera has also been recorded for its medicinal use against warts, corns and sunburn. Ethnobotanically a tea made from the plant was also used as a tranquilizer and aphrodisiac. Whether indigenous or exotic, Sundews deserve a little corner in all carnivorous plant collections. They make fascinating indoor houseplants. These curiosity plants grow best in pots filled with a mix of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Vermiculite and Horticultural Perlite. They can also be grown in our general Carnivorous Growing Medium. Drosera cuneifolia commonly known as Peninsula Sundew in English and Skiereiland Sondouw or Vlieë Vangertjie in Afrikaans is a winter-growing sundew that is restricted to the Cape Peninsula. Drosera cuneifolia is a perennial carnivorous plant. The basal rosette is loosely clumped and formed by quite broad, wedge-shaped leaves, 20–40 mm long and 10–15 mm wide. The leaves are greenish with 3–5 veins, and the lower leaf surface is almost smooth. Both marginal and discal tentacles are present. The dense marginal tentacles are longer while the rest are shorter, red and knob-ended. The plants have a few, fairly long roots. The flowering stalk is leafless, rarely branched and erect, originating from the centre of the rosette, 100–200 mm long and bears multiple pink to mauve flowers. The petals are 10–15 mm long. The styles are spoon-shaped. Flowering time: November to January. Black spindle-shaped seeds are formed in a capsule and released a few weeks after flowering. Fun & educational!