Description
ROUNDLEAF SUNDEW
Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), is a small carnivorous plant with a rosette of sticky, reddish basal leaves. It is cold-hardy when grown in situ and can withstand sub-freezing temperatures, even in the North. Also, roundleaf sundew is easy to grow in mini-bogs—pots, trays, troughs, anything that can hold waterlogged peat. In these situations, over-winter the container in an unheated garage or storage shed. For more planting and care guidance, click here.
NATURAL HABITAT
Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is an obligate wetland plant, meaning it almost always grows in wetland areas. It is a characteristic bog species and is also found in other moist, acidic environments, like wet meadows, the margins of streams, lakes, or pools, even on rotting logs. It prefers open, sunny or partly sunny habitats and is similar in habit and culture to spoonleaf sundew (Drosera intermedia). Drosera rotundifolia is the most widespread of the Drosera species, growing in all of northern Europe, much of Siberia, Korea, Japan, and in North America, from the Arctic to the Gulf Coast.
ETYMOLOGY
The term droseros is Greek for “dewy” and refers to the moist, glistening drops on the leaves, to which small organisms stick. The term rodundifolia comes from the Latin, meaning “round leaves.” Other common names for the roundleaf sundew include Common Sundew, Round-leaved Sundew, and Round-leaf Sundew. — Adirondacks Forever Wild
RANGE
Round-leaved sundew is circumboreal in distribution. In North America, it grows in the eastern half of the United States and throughout Canada.
ASSOCIATES
In bogs, roundleaf sundew grows with spoon-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia), pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea), grass pink orchids (Calopogon tuberosus), rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) and other bog denizens. In moist, acid sand, it has been found with Polygala cruciata, Gaultheria procumbens, and Aletris farinosa.
NOTES
The temperate sundews, including Drosera rotundifolia, are dormant during the winter months-generally October through February. They survive extreme temperatures by dying back to buds called “hibernacula.” They may look dead during this period, but they’re just resting. After their winter hibernation, the plants will resume active growth.
