dwarf sundew

Drosera brevifolia

The dwarf sundew is a tiny plant that catches bugs with its sticky leaves! It loves to grow in wet places and has beautiful, glistening droplets that look like tiny jewels.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The dwarf sundew is a tiny, ground-hugging plant with a rosette of spatula-shaped leaves, often reddish-green to bright red. Its leaves are covered in glistening, sticky tentacles that sparkle like morning dew, making it visually distinct from regular plants.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderCaryophyllalesFamilyDroseraceaeGenusDrosera

dwarf sundew

Interesting facts

Even though it eats bugs, the dwarf sundew makes its own food from sunlight, just like other plants!

Its scientific name, *Drosera*, comes from a Greek word meaning 'dewy', because its leaves always look sparkly!

Some sundews can curl their whole leaf around bigger prey in just minutes!

These tiny plants are often smaller than a quarter, making them masters of camouflage!

Special abilities

Dwarf sundew has leaves covered in sweet, sticky 'dew' that traps tiny insects, helping it catch food.

This plant can digest insects using special enzymes to get nutrients missing from poor soil, helping it survive.

When an insect lands, its sticky tentacles slowly bend inwards to hug the prey, ensuring no escape!

Measurements & details

Height: 1-5 cm
Spread: 2-6 cm
Flower Size: 0.3-0.8 cm
Bloom Season: Spring to early summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eaten by

Small Woodland Ant

Formica pallidula

Ants are often attracted to the sweet, sticky dew.

eaten by

Fruit Fly

Drosophila melanogaster

Small flies can become easily stuck on its traps.

pollinates

European Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Bees visit its small flowers for nectar, aiding reproduction.

pollinates

Viereck's Sweat Bee

Lasioglossum vierecki

Tiny native bees help carry pollen between flowers.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Rapid Growing

Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

Carnivorous Plant

Carnivorous plants are predatory flowering plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans.

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.