# Sundew (*Drosera L.*)

Sundews are fascinating plants that catch insects with their sticky tentacles. They grow in wetlands and have shiny drops that look like dew, but are actually a trap for bugs.

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

![Sundew](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Drosera_indica_L._%2822582627551%29.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drosera_indica_L._%2822582627551%29.jpg)

## Appearance

The Sundew is a captivating plant with rosettes of leaves covered in glistening, jewel-like drops of sticky mucilage. Its tentacles, often reddish or green, give it a sparkling appearance, making it look distinctively 'dewy' and attractive.

## Taxonomy

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

## Interesting facts

- Many sundews have beautiful, tiny flowers that grow on tall stalks away from their sticky traps!
- Some sundews can curl their entire leaf around bigger prey to digest them faster!
- Sundews are found on every continent except Antarctica, growing in diverse habitats!
- The 'dew' on sundews is actually a super sticky plant glue, not real water!

## Special abilities

- **Sticky Trap Mastery:** Sundew can produce glistening, sugary dew to attract and trap insects, ensuring it gets vital nutrients from its prey.
- **Tentacle Embrace:** Sundew has sensitive tentacles that can slowly bend and hug captured prey, maximizing contact for digestion.
- **Nutrient Recharge:** Sundew can absorb nutrients from digested insects, allowing it to thrive in nutrient-poor soils where other plants struggle.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 2-30 cm
- **Spread:** 2-20 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.3-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring, 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*) — Trapped by sticky leaves for nutrients
- **Eaten by:** common mosquito (*Culex pipiens*) — Attracted to dew and becomes trapped
- **Symbiotic with:** [sphagnum moss](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sphagnum-moss) (*Sphagnum palustre*) — Creates acidic, nutrient-poor bog habitat
- **Pollinates:** [sweat bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sweat-bee) (*Lasioglossum vierecki*) — Visits flowers for nectar, aiding reproduction

## Traits

- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [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 sundews from a distance and avoid touching them to let them catch bugs in peace.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify 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 Sundew?

2-30 cm

### How wide does Sundew spread?

2-20 cm

### How big are the flowers on Sundew?

0.3-2 cm

### When does Sundew bloom?

Spring, Summer

### Is Sundew edible?

No

### Is Sundew toxic?

None

### What is Sundew's lifecycle?

Perennial

## 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: [Sundew: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sundew)