# 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. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![dwarf sundew](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Drosera_brevifolia_2.jpg&width=800) Photo: Marcia Stefani, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_brevifolia_2.jpg) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Droseraceae - **Genus:** Drosera ## 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 - **Sticky Trap Hunter:** Dwarf sundew has leaves covered in sweet, sticky 'dew' that traps tiny insects, helping it catch food. - **Nutrient Extractor:** This plant can digest insects using special enzymes to get nutrients missing from poor soil, helping it survive. - **Quick Tentacle Grip:** 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [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. - [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't touch the leaves too much; they are special and need to catch bugs! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify dwarf sundew? 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 dwarf sundew? 1-5 cm ### How wide does dwarf sundew spread? 2-6 cm ### How big are the flowers on dwarf sundew? 0.3-0.8 cm ### When does dwarf sundew bloom? Spring to early summer ### Is dwarf sundew edible? No ### Is dwarf sundew toxic? None ### What is dwarf sundew's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Alabama City Wall Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/alabama-city-wall-street-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Gadsden Downtown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gadsden-downtown-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Paul B Johnson State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/paul-b-johnson-state-park) — Mississippi, US · State Park [View all places to see dwarf sundew](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/dwarf-sundew) ## 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*) --- Source: [Dwarf Sundew: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/dwarf-sundew)