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- ›Drosera
Drosera
Drosera, which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 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 the plants grow. Various species, which vary greatly in size and form, are native to every continent except Antarctica.
Charles Darwin performed much of the early research into Drosera, engaging in a long series of experiments with Drosera rotundifolia, which were the first to confirm carnivory in plants. In an 1860 letter, Darwin wrote, "...at the present moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world".
39 branches of this group, most-observed first
round-leaved sundew
speciesDrosera rotundifolia
spoonleaf sundew
speciesDrosera intermedia
Pink Sundew
speciesDrosera capillaris
Rosy Sundew
speciesDrosera spatulata
Great Sundew
speciesDrosera anglica
dwarf sundew
speciesDrosera brevifolia
Tracy's sundew
speciesDrosera tracyi
Thread-leaved Sundew
speciesDrosera filiformis
Slenderleaf Sundew
speciesDrosera linearis
Drosera × obovata
hybridDrosera × obovata
Drosera neocaledonica
speciesDrosera neocaledonica
Drosera communis
speciesDrosera communis
Florida Threadleaf Sundew
speciesDrosera floridana
Drosera cayennensis
speciesDrosera cayennensis
Drosera roraimae
speciesDrosera roraimae
Drosera hirtella
speciesDrosera hirtella
Drosera oblanceolata
speciesDrosera oblanceolata
Drosera hamiltonii
speciesDrosera hamiltonii
Drosera kaieteurensis
speciesDrosera kaieteurensis
Spoonleaf × Round-leaved Sundew
hybridDrosera × eloisiana
Drosera tokaiensis
speciesDrosera tokaiensis
Drosera esmeraldae
speciesDrosera esmeraldae
Drosera viridis
speciesDrosera viridis
Drosera × woodii
hybridDrosera × woodii
Drosera × arenaria
hybridDrosera × arenaria
Drosera × hybrida
hybridDrosera × hybrida
Drosera ultramafica
speciesDrosera ultramafica
Drosera felix
speciesDrosera felix
Drosera hirticalyx
speciesDrosera hirticalyx
Drosera amazonica
speciesDrosera amazonica
Drosera arenicola
speciesDrosera arenicola
Drosera lutescens
speciesDrosera lutescens
Drosera biflora
speciesDrosera biflora
Drosera 'nagamoto'
hybridDrosera × nagamotoi
Drosera peruensis
speciesDrosera peruensis
Drosera yutajensis
speciesDrosera yutajensis
Drosera cendeensis
speciesDrosera cendeensis
Drosera × californica
hybridDrosera × californica
Drosera solaris
speciesDrosera solaris
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Drosera in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 1064197.