# Drosera

Drosera, also known as sundews, are fascinating plants that catch insects with sticky, dew-covered tentacles. They thrive in wetlands and have beautiful, glistening leaves that attract curious insects.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![Drosera](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Drosera_spatulata_KansaiHabit.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Jan Wieneke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_spatulata_KansaiHabit.jpg)

## Appearance

The Drosera is a small, ground-hugging plant, often forming rosettes or upright stems covered in shimmering, red-tipped tentacles. These sticky 'sundew' tentacles sparkle with a clear, sugary fluid that makes the plant look covered in morning dew, attracting unsuspecting insects. Its delicate flowers can be white, pink, or purple.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Caryophyllales
- **Family:** Droseraceae
- **Genus:** Drosera

## Interesting facts

- Drosera are found on every continent except Antarctica!
- One species, Drosera regia, can grow over two feet tall!
- Some Drosera grow underground tubers to survive harsh fires!
- The sticky 'dew' is so strong, it can even trap small moths!

## Special abilities

- **Sticky Trapper:** Drosera has special glands that produce a super-sticky mucilage to trap insects for food, helping it survive in poor soils.
- **Moving Tentacles:** Some Drosera can slowly move their tentacles and leaves to curl around struggling prey, ensuring a tight grip.
- **Digestive Power:** Drosera produces special enzymes to break down captured insects, absorbing vital nutrients like nitrogen from their prey.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 5-30 cm
- **Spread:** 5-20 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring_to_summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [fruit fly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fruit-fly) (*Drosophila melanogaster*) — A common prey insect.
- **Pollinates:** honeybee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visiting flowers for nectar.
- **Eaten by:** red wood ant (*Formica rufa*) — Often gets trapped on leaves.
- **Depends on:** red bog moss (*Sphagnum capillifolium*) — Thrives in acid bog environments.

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Night Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/night-blooming): Night blooming plants open their flowers after sunset, often to attract nocturnal pollinators with their scent and appearance.
- [Carnivorous Plant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous-plant): Carnivorous plants are predatory flowering plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Admire Drosera from a distance to let them catch insects naturally.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Drosera?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Drosera?

5-30 cm

### How wide does Drosera spread?

5-20 cm

### How big are the flowers on Drosera?

0.5-2 cm

### When does Drosera bloom?

Spring_to_summer

### Is Drosera edible?

No

### Is Drosera toxic?

None

### What is Drosera's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Armorique Regional Nature Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/armorique-regional-nature-park) — Bretagne, FR · Park
- [Millevaches en Limousin Regional Nature Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/millevaches-en-limousin-regional-nature-park) — Nouvelle-Aquitaine, FR · Park
- [Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ballons-des-vosges-regional-nature-park) — FR · Park

[View all places to see Drosera](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/drosera)

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Drosera: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/drosera)