Plants of the UNF Campus

Drosera capillaris - Sundew
Family Droseraceae


About 80 species of Drosera are found in warmer areas around the world. These are “carnivorous” plants that capture insects with sticky, gland-tipped hairs on their leaves. This species is native to warm areas of North and South America. The flat rosette of reddish leaves stands less than an inch tall with a short spike of pink flowers in early spring. Insects trapped on the leaves provide minerals that are absorbed by the plant.and help it survive in poor soils.


See this plant along the shores of Lake Oneida.


Small herbaceous perennial with a rosette of leaves that lay flat on the ground.

Care Instructions:

Light: sun

Water: moist soil

Soil: poor, acidic soil

In northeast Florida, this small plant is rarely cultivated. Plants are not compatible with grade changes and dense turf so they seldom survive in a developed area. Where they grow, they warrant conservation as a botanical curiosity.

Note: this plant is found in areas with low competition from other vegetation