We study the types and varieties of sundew by photos and descriptions
The types and varieties of sundew that are found in nature differ from each other in color and shape of the flower. This unusual plant feeds on various insects. What a sundew looks like and what are its most popular types, you can find out from this article.
Rosyanka: general characteristics
Another name for the sundew is drosera. This plant belongs to insectivores, grows in natural conditions around the globe. Most of the more than a hundred species are concentrated in New Zealand and Australia. The large-leaved sundew is common in northern latitudes, well adapted to temperate climates and marshy areas. This variety received a beautiful and poetic name from the English people, who called the plant "sunny dew".
In the wild, sundew propagation is done by seeds, which are sown and germinated themselves. After the grain has touched the soil, sprouts appear in a year.
Many representatives of this species reproduce through self-pollination, others do it using insects... Plants catch flies not with flowers, but with sticky leaves, and therefore the flower is not terrible for them during pollination. The stem with the bud is much higher than the dangerous deciduous plates.
Popular types and varieties of sundew
When choosing a sundew in a store, you must first study its types and learn about the rules for caring for them.
Cape sundew
This flower is considered the most beautiful relative to the rest. Adapted for living and growing in indoor conditions. The plant is not whimsical, it can grow and bloom calmly all year round. Outwardly, such a specimen is distinguished by a small stem, many white flowers and long leaves. In height, the flower reaches only 13 cm, however, even with a small stature, it remains a real predator, like other types of sundew. Catching insects from a plant occurs due to white villi with sticky droplets that cover the leaves.
The digestion of the victim in the Cape sundew is carried out for a couple of days.
English sundew (long-leaved)
The English sundew was brought to us from the Hawaiian Islands. Today, in nature, it can be found in the Caucasus, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. The preferred soil for the plant will be sandy, wet marshland. The flower can reach a height of 9 to 24 cm. The fragile leaves are large enough - 9-11 cm, looking up. The sundew blooms with white flowers, falls in July. Seeds are formed in a single-celled capsule.
The flower is not only a predator but also poisonous.
Despite this, the English sundew is widely used in treatment: for this they take the aerial part of the flower, which should be healthy and not have any flaws. The plant has an effect on the body:
- bactericidal;
- anti-inflammatory;
- diuretic;
- antipyretic;
- expectorant;
- antispasmodic;
- calming.
The composition includes naphthoquinones, organic acids and many other useful elements.
Blackened flowers are strictly forbidden to take for treatment, because they are toxic and can be harmful.
Round-leaved sundew
This flower is the most abundant in the world. The ideal soil for a plant is a peat bog. This species tolerates the average climate well, grows in America, Russia, Europe, Asia. The flower has other popular names - "god's dew", "sun dew".
The leaves of this species grow closer to the roots, have an oval shape, on the surface of which there are red tentacle hairs that have a sticky effect. Blossoming occurs with white flowers in mid-summer. The stem reaches a height of 19 cm. Seeds are formed by the end of August, located in single-nest capsules.
Autumn is the best time to harvest the seed and sow it in moist peat soil in a greenhouse or under a film.
This sundew tolerates frost well: in winter it has special buds that hide in the plant. After the first sun appears, they open and new annual stems are formed.
The upper part of the flower is applicable in the field of health. It contains tannins, ascorbic, organic acids and dyes. All of these components help to cure a cough, as they have an expectorant effect.
Royal sundew
This rare specimen blooms with bright pink flowers. The stem height ranges from 29-32 cm. This species is found naturally in South Africa and is represented by several populations. This sundew is distinguished by the largest leaves - 0.7-2 m. It belongs to rare plants.
Dewdrop two-syllable
Such a sundew in the natural environment is found on the shores of the Australian continent. It is often seen in the coastal cities of South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales. The species is also common in New Zealand. Many populations of sundew in this region are distinguished by year-round flowering: these are numerous white buds. Some species hibernate in winter and wake up in spring. This variety is fundamentally different from others. The leaves are outwardly bifurcated and narrow; they grow on the branches.
This sundew is the largest among its fellows: the flower grows upwards by 65 cm.
Alicia's Dewdrop
The homeland of Alicia's sundew is South Africa, where the plant feels great in the subtropics. The leaves of this sundew, like those of other species, are covered with villi, the tops of which are smeared with a sticky liquid. Oval plates on the surface have special hairs that react very clearly to insect touch. After folding the sheet, the victim is in its center, like the filling of a roll. The plant envelops the insect and the digestion process begins. When it is finished, the sheet returns to its original position. It blooms with small pink flowers located in small inflorescences.
Dewdrop Burman
The flower owes its name to the scientist Johannes Burman, since it was he who first described it in a work entitled "On the flora of Ceylon". The homeland of the variety is Southeast Asia and Australia. The species is adapted for living in the subtropics.
A distinctive feature of the Burman sundew in relation to its other relatives is the rapid swallowing and processing of prey.
It only takes a couple of seconds for the sheet to wrap itself around the victim, although other species do the same for a few minutes.
Long leafy plates of the flower grow from the root, and the shoots reach 9-11 cm. Flowering occurs with white flowers, decorated in racemose inflorescences. Due to the small size of the plant, up to three buds are formed on each branch. Flowers can self-pollinate, reproduction occurs by seeds.
Dewdrop threadlike
This species is large in size, its height is up to 49 cm. The leaves are shimmering, located straight. The filamentous sundew is divided into two subspecies. The first group includes Florida Red, Thread Sundew, Florida Giant.The second includes Trace and the Thread Sundew. They are distributed north of the Gulf of Mexico.
Dewdrop offspring
This species thrives in nature on the steep cliffs of the Australian coast. Its normal living conditions are over 1000 meters above the sea. Sundew leaves are heart-shaped, located at the roots on long shoots. In the heat, they become light, pale yellow. In the cold season, the color of the plates changes to red, orange or purple. Young shoots emerge from the peduncle where it comes into contact with the soil, they grow very quickly. Sundew propagation is carried out by seeds, and sometimes this process is similar to growth strawberry - after flowering, a mustache is formed. This species, like related varieties, swallows insects: the leaf rolls up in 19 minutes.
Rosyanka Glanduliger: petiolate and lemon
This type of sundew is quite original. This concerns the process of dealing with the victim. A special mechanism throws up the prey, and it directly appears in the center of the leaf. This kind of throwing is done by shoots, for which this process is based on a change in fluid pressure. The speed is approximately 15 cm per second. This distinctive feature has been described by scientists quite recently, and the process has not yet been fully studied. Each branch can make only one toss, after which it dies. A new shoot is formed at the same place.
The petiolate species of sundew is native to New Guinea and Australia. Deciduous plates are located at the roots, they are long and narrow, reaching a height of 16 cm. The plant's predatory leaves are not very large. The appearance of a flower depends on the climate where it lives. As a rule, this is heat and temperatures up to 41 ° C, as well as a low level of humidity. The flowers are white.
Lemon sundew in a natural environment lives in Australia, thrives on the sandy shores of reservoirs. The leaves are oval in shape, flat, and there is a notch at the top. Due to this appearance, the plant received another name - heart-shaped or toothed. This species requires special care due to the too thin leaves. Such plates can be easily damaged, and for their normal growth, good moisture and drip irrigation... It feels best in the shade, out of the reach of the sun.
Having information on varieties and types of sundew, you can make the right choice in growing this plant. If you provide the sundew with full and high-quality care, it will delight you with its charming flowering and lush growth.