Drosera

Drosera burmannii – The Tropical Sundew

$8.00

Looking for a Sundew that’s easy to grow? Look no further than Drosera burmannii or the Tropical Sundew which is a very special plant in so many ways! It may be small measuring up to 3 cm across but it makes up for its size by it’s beautiful appearance and ability to catch relatively large insects (see photo). It also manages to catch tiny pests such as aphids that can affect North American pitcher plants. I grow this plant outdoors all year round with my other carnivorous plants and love to see trapped aphids which appear in spring. It’s no wonder why I like to think of this plant as the ultimate organic pest controller in my plant collection! Like all Sundews this plant is characterized by having round, sticky droplets of mucilage on stalks which cover the leaves. The ‘nectar’ covered leaves attract, trap and eventually digest insects. More photos of this plant can be found at the online gallery.

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These Sundews happily co-exist in the same growing conditions and peat moss medium as Venus Flytraps and North American pitcher plants. This means you can grow them in the same pot as your other carnivorous plants.

  • Light – provide at least 4 hours of direct sunlight.
  • Location – outdoors (recommended), greenhouse or indoors on a North facing aspect.
  • Watering – place pot in tray of water to keep soil wet. Use distilled water, reverse osmosis filtered water or rainwater.
  • Dormancy – this plant does not require dormancy as it generally grows as an annual. In the wild it will grow, flower, disperse their seeds and die in the one growing season.
  • Self-pollinating flowers – this species produces copious amounts of tiny seeds from small pink flowers which are self pollinating. Fertile seeds are dispersed by wind and seedlings will sprout depending on where the seeds settle.
  • Temperature – Being a true tropical sundew they will start to die off if temperatures fall below 16 degrees Celsius. Any available seeds will sprout as soon as temperatures get warmer.
  • Terrariums – sundews make excellent terrarium subjects!
  • Extending the life of your Sundews – I have witnessed them surviving rather than dying off during winter here in Sydney, N.S.W.  Dead leaves of Venus flytraps act as a thermal blanket for any sheltering sundews. Consider not cutting off old Venus flytrap leaves over winter to prolong the lifespan of tropical sundews.
  • Growing Indoors – These Sundews can be grown successfully indoors under lights. You will need to feed them to compensate for the lack of insects. For indoor care and feeding tips click here.
  • Only bare rooted rhizomes (stems) are shipped in the mail.
  • Rhizomes are selected from the most mature parent plant at time of order.
  • Not sure how to plant bare rooted rhizomes? Click here for simple instructions on how to plant your rhizomes to give your plants the best start.
  • Need further information or advice? Please contact me (Jerry) and I’ll be happy to help you out!

Peat Moss (Potting Medium)

Need peat moss with your purchased stem? Premium peat moss blend can be purchased from the online shop. Click here for details.