Sundew belongs to the rarest predatory plants. It's small herbaceous plant grows naturally in poor marshy soils. Therefore, in the process of evolution, the sundew has developed its own unique way of obtaining the nutrients it needs - it feeds on insects. In order to catch prey, sundew leaves are covered with tiny droplets of a sticky substance. When an insect sticks to it, the leaf, sensing vibration, rolls up, enveloping the insect, and gradually digests it.

Sundew leaves are collected in a dense basal rosette. In most species, the inflorescences are inconspicuous, rising above the rosette on tall peduncles of 10-20 cm, so that pollinating insects do not fall into a sticky trap.

In nature, sundews grow both in tropical zones and in temperate latitudes. Some species are found here. However, in indoor floriculture Usually only tropical species are bred - they are more brightly colored and do not require cold wintering.

Indoor views

Cape sundew - leaves are narrow, up to 5-6 cm long, on a long (up to 10 cm) petiole, covered with reddish hunting cilia. Peduncles can reach 20 cm in height and bear up to 10-15 dark-colored flowers Pink colour. The flowering period occurs in May-July.

Round-leaved sundew - plant height up to 20 cm. Leaves about round shape on long petioles, collected in a basal rosette. The underside of the leaf is smooth, green, the upper side is pubescent with reddish hunting cilia. Flowering from July to August.

Spatulate sundew - forms a compact, dense rosette. The leaves are wide, spade-shaped on a short petiole, covered with reddish hunting cilia.

Sundew Alicia - leaves with trapping, strap-shaped cilia. Forms a dense, but not large rosette. A tropical species native to Australia.

Double sundew - differs from other sundews in leaf shape - the leaf is long and narrow, forked at the end. Both ends are curled into a spiral, like .

Care

Accommodation

Prefers very bright places, but protected from direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to the sun can significantly worsen appearance plants and even lead to its death.

Temperature

For sundews from temperate zones, the summer temperature should be 20 C°, the winter temperature 5-10 C°. A warm winter can cause the plant to die. For tropical species, summer temperature is 25-30 C°, winter – 15-18 C°.

Watering

Needs a constantly moist clod of soil. Usually water generously. IN summer period They leave water in the pan; in winter, watering is less intense and the water is not left in the pan. Water with rain or filtered water, since the plant does not tolerate salts in water at all. If this is not possible, before watering the water should be slightly heated and left for two days in an open container.

Humidity

Requires very high humidity. The ideal place for growing is a florarium or some kind of glass container with a lid, in which it is easy to maintain humidity. If this is not possible, the sundew should be placed on a tray with damp sphagnum moss or regularly sprayed with soft rain or very well-settled warm water.

Top dressing

Sundew roots are practically not suitable for extracting useful substances from the soil. Therefore, this plant is usually not fertilized. But if you do not feed the plant with insects, you can feed the plant once every 1-2 months with a weak solution of fertilizers for hydroponics (the solution is made in a concentration 4 times less than what is written on the package).

Transfer

Sundew cannot be planted in regular soil mixtures. They are too nutritious for her and she will quickly die in them. It is best to plant it in soil consisting of sphagnum moss, peat and sand or perlite in a ratio of 1:0.5:0.5. The acidity of the soil should be pH 4 - 5.

Sphagnum, being a moisture-intensive medium, will maintain soil moisture well.

Plant the plants in shallow pots. Several plants can be planted in one bowl, but so that the rosettes do not overlap each other. Sundews can be planted in 1 pot different types.

Reproduction

Seeds, layering and cuttings.

• The easiest way to propagate is by seeds. Sundew blooms in spring. Flowers can be pollinated with a brush or simply by lightly rubbing each other. A month after the end of flowering, the seed boxes ripen. Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil, covered with a bag and kept in a light and very damp place at a temperature of 20 C°. Fresh seeds germinate very quickly and within a couple of months grow to the size of an adult plant. Purchased seeds take longer to germinate – up to 5 months;
• Rosettes often produce cuttings, which can be carefully separated from the mother plant and planted in separate bowls under a bag;
• In order to propagate sundew by cuttings, you need to cut off a healthy leaf and root it in water or moist soil under a bag.

Diseases and pests

Sundews are not damaged. But if there is too much flooding, they can be susceptible to rot. Do not allow water to stand in the pot.

Features of care

• Sundews have a dormant period that usually lasts from November to February. At this time, the plant hardly grows and requires less intensive watering and less nutrition. Trap leaves become less sticky, some leaves may die;
• If the leaves with dewdrops begin to dry out, spray them with water. The presence of wet dewdrops is an indicator good conditions maintenance of the plant and, accordingly, its health.

How to feed sundews

You don’t have to feed the sundew, but in this case it will grow slowly. Therefore, it is advisable to give her insects. 2-3 large flies per plant per week are enough. Worms and other small insects will come. An insect that is too large can damage the leaf and simply break out and run away. Do not overfeed the plant, much less give it raw meat.

I suggest watching an interesting video about feeding sundews.

Oct 26 2017

Sundew: description of plant species and varieties

Sundew (Drosera) belongs to the genus of carnivorous plants of the sundew family (Droseraceae). Its spread across the planet is surprising. It is found in all parts of the world except Antarctica. Most of the Sundews are in Australia and New Zealand. It owes its vitality to its special structure and method of obtaining food. The main business of life for an insectivorous predator is hunting. There are about 200 species of this plant. The Latin name “Drosera” was given to the plant by Carl Linnaeus, which translated into Russian means “Dew”. People call Sundew in all sorts of different ways: flycatcher, charming killer, and solar dew. In this article we will talk about the most popular types and varieties of Sundew.

Sundew is a perennial herbaceous carnivorous plant, at the base of which a dense rosette of leaves is formed. The petiolate or sessile leaves along the edges and their entire surface are covered with hairs, which, when in contact with living insects, become irritated and secrete an aromatic sticky substance that has paralytic properties and is similar in composition to digestive enzymes. It is with the help of this liquid that the flycatcher hunts insects. The liquid contains organic acids such as formic, citric, malic, ascorbic and benzoic, as well as digestive enzymes such as pepsin. They break down insect proteins into simpler compounds that the plant can assimilate.

Interestingly, Charles Darwin, while conducting numerous observations and experiments with Sundew rotundifolia, discovered that the plant is able to digest even pieces of cartilage and bone. After digestion of the insect, nothing remains of it except the chitinous shell, and even that is soon washed off from the surface of the opened leaf by rain or blown away by the wind.

The leaves of different sundew species vary greatly in size and shape. Their length ranges from 5 mm for the dwarf growing in Australia to two meters for the Royal, which is found in southern African countries.

Sundew is a flowering plant. Flowering occurs in spring - summer months. At this time, from the center of the leaf rosette appear long stems. Sundew flowers are collected in an inflorescence - a spike of bright pink, white or cream color. A flower with a double perianth and a corolla consisting of several petals - from four to eight (usually five). The number of stamens is equal to the number of petals. The pistil forms a single ovary with a large number of seeds. The ovary is superior, rounded. The fruits usually appear in August. They are capsules with numerous small spindle-shaped seeds. The fruit opens into three doors.

IN natural conditions Sundew reproduces by self-sowing. The seeds fall onto the soil and germinate a year later. Some species of Sundews are able to self-pollinate, others need the help of insects. But, in all flycatchers, the stem with the flowers located at the top is much longer than the trap leaves, so pollinating insects do not get caught on the sticky fibers of the leaves, which is very important during plant pollination.

What does Sundew eat?

The structure of the trap leaves of the flower is quite original, corresponding to the type of nutrition of the Sundew. Their entire surface is covered with numerous hairs. At the tip of each hair, a drop of dew sparkles in the sun, which is not dew at all, but sticky, sticky mucus, which with its aroma attracts the attention of small insects and deprives them of the opportunity to escape. Having landed on a flower, flies, mosquitoes, midges instantly stick. Of course, they begin to desperately break out of their sticky captivity. But the sundew leaf is unusually sensitive. The lightest touch of a mosquito is enough for all its hairs to move, bending in an effort to cover the prey with sticky mucus and move it to the middle of the leaf. The leaf immediately begins to curl up around the victim and, with the help of enzymes located in the center of the leaf on the digestive villi, paralyzes, immobilizes the prey and begins to digest it. The digestion process lasts for different sundew species from several minutes to a week, after which the petals unfurl again and are covered with sparkling dewdrops. The flower freezes in anticipation of its next victim.

Interestingly, the plant does not react in any way when small debris, sand, earth, pieces of bark or raindrops fall on the leaf. It has been scientifically established that Sundew tentacles only respond to organic objects that have nutritional value.

In the wild, Sundew settles in swampy or sandy places where the soil is poor in nitrogen. Therefore, having caught and digested the next victim, the plant makes up for the lack of nitrogen and other minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium. In Russia there are only three species of Sundew: round-leaved, intermediate and English. They grow in the temperate climate of the European part of the country, on Far East and in Siberia. They withstand cold winters by forming special, tightly folded, overwintering buds. Such buds can be stored in an airtight bag with sphagnum moss for up to five months.

Use of Sundew for medicinal and economic purposes

Sundew herb, collected during its flowering, is used for coughs, bronchitis, including whooping cough. It has been proven that it contains a substance such as plumbagon - an antibiotic that helps in the fight against microbes and pathogenic fungi - streptococci and staphylococci. It is used by homeopaths to prepare food additives. Externally, sundew juice is used to exterminate warts and old calluses. For this purpose, young, freshly picked leaves are used. Internal part The leaves, where the glandular hairs are located, are used to wipe warts or calluses. After several procedures they disappear. And decoctions of dry sundew leaves are used as diuretics and diaphoretics, for fevers, and for eye diseases. Please note that for decoctions do not use fresh leaves, and dry raw materials. It is best to harvest it in the summer, during the flowering period, although it is possible during the entire growing season, as long as the Sundew is above the soil surface. It is better to dry using dryers at a temperature of 40 degrees. But it is also possible in a well-ventilated area. Store in cloth bags for no more than two years.

Infusions are recommended to be drunk for asthma, atherosclerosis, diarrhea, dropsy, dysentery, and also for headaches. They are prepared like this: 1 tsp. dry sundew herb pour 1 glass of boiling water. Leave for one hour, strain and squeeze out the herb. The resulting solution is consumed after meals 3–4 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon. It is important not to exceed the indicated doses so as not to cause vomiting or upset the digestive system.

Pharmacies sell ready-made alcoholic tinctures of Rosyanka for the treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Alcohol tincture You can prepare it yourself in a ratio of 1:10. Take 10 g of dried sundew herb and 100 ml of 40% alcohol or vodka. Leave in a dark place at room temperature for 10 days. Strain. After which it is used as a pharmaceutical drug. Children are given 10 drops diluted with water, 3-4 times a day. Adults – 15 drops in a glass of water 4 – 5 times a day.

But it is important to know that all parts of the plant are poisonous. Self-medication is dangerous. Any failure to comply with the dosage risks poisoning. Therefore, before treating diseases with any parts of Sundew, consult a specialist.

In the North, Rosyanka is used for steaming milk storage containers. Over time, milk does not store well in jars and begins to sour quickly. Then the sundew with a small amount of water is placed in a jug. The jug is placed in a Russian oven and steamed for some time. The enzymes found in Sundew leaves dissolve everything organic matter, remaining after the milk has soured and penetrated deep into the clay pores of the jar. After steaming with Rosyanka, milk in such a jug is again stored for a long time and does not sour.

In Italy, Rosyanka is used in the preparation of Rosolio liqueur.

We present to you some types of Sundew with photos

Sundew Roundifolia

This is the most common type of Sundew. Most often it is found in peat bogs in temperate climate zones of Europe, America, and Asia. In Russia too. It is surprising that this predatory flower is popularly called affectionately - God's dew, Solar dew, Tsar's eyes, Rosichka. The flower has basal leaves with a rounded leaf plate, which is framed by hairs - red tentacles that secrete sticky mucus. The plant has a stem about 20 cm long. It blooms in mid-summer with white flowers. The fruits ripen in late summer in the form of single-lobed capsules. This species reproduces by seeds, which are collected in the fall and sown in greenhouses on the surface of moist peat soil. This winter-hardy species Sundews. By winter, it forms special wintering buds, which go deeper into the thickness of sphagnum moss. When the sun begins to warm up and the snow melts, annual shoots appear from these buds.

The ground part of the round-leaved sundew is used in medicinal purposes. It contains ascorbic acid, tannins and dyes, organic acids. Decoctions of Sundew leaves are used for coughs as an expectorant (see above).

Sundew Cape

This type of Sundew is the most beautiful. It is most often grown at home. She is growing all year round. An absolutely unpretentious plant. Can adapt to any living conditions. The Cape Sundew has a low stem, thin elongated leaves and numerous attractive white flowers. The plant reaches only 12 cm in height. But this does not prevent him from being just as dangerous a predator for insects as his tall relatives. The Cape Sundew has white hairs - tentacles with dew drops at the ends, with the help of which the flower catches and absorbs food. The process of digesting prey usually takes several days.

Sundew Intermediate

This type of carnivorous plant is found most often in peat bogs of the USA, Cuba, Brazil, Dominican Republic, as well as in many places in Europe. This is a low plant, five to eight cm in height. Its leaves are collected in a basal rosette and have an arched, back-lanceolate shape. The surface of the leaves is covered with numerous red hairs with glands, at the ends of which droplets of sticky mucus are secreted to hold and swallow insects. Flowering of Intermediate Sundew occurs in July – August. The flowers are white, very small. The plant does not have a winter dormancy period. It is considered the easiest to grow in room conditions.

English sundew is poisonous

This species grows in the Hawaiian Islands, and is also common in Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Prefers damp, sandy and sphagnum bogs. The height of the plant ranges from 7 to 25 cm. The leaves are thin on long petioles, reach a size of 10 cm, and are directed upward. Their shape is lanceolate. Blooms in mid-summer with white flowers. The fruit is a single-locular capsule with grayish-brown seeds. English Sundew is a poisonous representative of predatory plants and has medicinal properties. Use the entire ground part healthy plant. However, it is strictly prohibited to use blackened or dark brown grass for medicinal purposes due to its high toxicity.

All parts of English Sundew contain ascorbic acid and other organic acids, naphthoquinones, and enzymes similar to pepsin. The plant has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, bactericidal, diuretic, antispasmodic, expectorant and sedative effects.

Sundew Bisyllabic

This species of Sundew is native to New Zealand, Stewart Island, the Chattam Archipelago, and the southern coastal regions of Australia. Some varieties of this plant grow and bloom with white flowers all year round. Others - in winter time go into a state of rest. Sundew bisyllabic differs from others in its narrow, branching, forked leaves and impressive height - up to 60 cm.

Alicia's sundew hairs move prey to the center of the leaf

This subtropical sundew species came to us from South Africa. He has unusual leaves- in the form of miniature plates, the surface of which is covered with numerous hairs - tentacles with droplets of mucus at the tips. These hairs are very sensitive. At the slightest touch they begin to move, bend and move their prey to the center of the sheet. Gradually, the leaf curls up around the insect and turns into something like a small stomach. When digestion is complete, the leaf unfolds and is again covered with drops of sweet, fragrant dew. Alicia's sundew blooms in racemes with small pink flowers.

Burman's sundew

Burman's sundew leaves wrap around prey in a few seconds

Grows in subtropical areas of Australia and Southeast Asia. The difference from other species is that it is the fastest carnivorous plant in the Sundew family in swallowing insects. Its leaves wrap around the prey in a few seconds, while in other Sundews this process takes minutes or even hours. Burman's Sundew has short stems and wedge-shaped leaves 10 cm long, forming a dense basal rosette. White flowers form tall racemes. There are up to three of them on one plant. The plant reproduces by seeds. Flowers on a long peduncle are self-pollinating. This species received its name after the scientist Johannes Burman, who first described it in his book “On the Flora of Ceylon” in 1737.

Sundew Filamentous

This rather large representative grows up to 50 cm in height. It has erect, linear, shimmering leaves. This species has two subspecies. The first subspecies includes the Threaded Sundew, Florida Red and Florida Giant. The second subspecies - Threaded Sundew variety of Trace - grows in the northern part of the coast Gulf of Mexico.

Sundew Otryskovaya

The sundew can reproduce with its mustache

Sundew grows at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level on the cliffs and rocky shores of Australia. Small heart-shaped leaves on long petioles form a dense rosette with a diameter of about 6 cm. In the hot season, the leaves are pale green and yellowish in color. With the arrival of cold weather, they change their color to orange, red and purple. New specimens of the plant are formed on the peduncle where they come into contact with the ground and spread very quickly. In addition to traditional methods of reproduction, Sundew propagates, like our strawberries, by tendrils that form on the plant after it blooms. The speed of swallowing prey in this sundew species is average - folding a leaf around the victim takes about 20 minutes.

The glanduliger sundew, with the help of the movement of its shoots, throws the insect into the center of the leaf, like a catapult

The glanduliger sundew has a unique mechanism that, like a catapult, throws the insect into the center of the leaf. This process is carried out with the help of the movement of the processes, which, due to changes in fluid pressure at the base of the processes, move at lightning speed (16 cm per second). Scientists biologists discovered this feature recently, and the process has not been fully studied. It is only known that such a process works only once. After which it dies, and a new one grows in its place.

Rosyanka Chereshkova

Sundew petiole has small trap leaves compared to other species

Grows in Australia and New Guinea. It has long narrow leaves forming a basal rosette from 5 to 30 cm in diameter and 15 cm in height. Compared to other sundew species, petiolate trap leaves are small. This is explained by the fact that it grows in areas with a hot climate, with temperatures up to 30 - 40 degrees. and lack of moisture. The flowers are common for Sundews, white.

Schisandra sundew is also called jagged sundew or heart sundew.

It grows in Australia on the heavily shaded sandy banks of streams in the state of Queensland. A distinctive feature of this species is the notch at the top of the flat oval leaves. For this, she was nicknamed the jagged or heart-shaped Sundew. This is the most capricious species of Sundews to care for. This is explained by the fact that Schisandra Sundew has very thin, almost “papery” leaves, which are easily damaged and require high humidity. It also needs a lot of aeration. It will only grow in a dark place where it is not exposed to Sun rays.

Sundew Cistus has the largest flowers

This species grows only in Africa, in the Northern and Southern Cape provinces of South Africa. This Sundew received its name due to the similarity of the inflorescences with flowers of the Cistus family. The plant is active during the colder months in moist, sandy substrates. In the extreme hot and dry conditions of South Africa (November-March), the plant survives by storing water and nutrients in the thick, fleshy and fibrous roots. The height of the stem reaches 40 cm; the leaves, 2 to 5 cm long, have no petioles and are located directly on the stems. The color of the leaves ranges from yellowish-green to red. Sundew Cistus has the largest flowers, more than 6 cm in diameter, which bloom in August-September.

This species is very variable. Almost every plant differs in its shape, height and leaf color. The color of the inflorescences can also be very different - from white, pink and orange, to crimson and red. In the vicinity of Darling, South Africa, you can find a rare, endangered form of Sundew Cistus, blooming bright red, with black streaks down the center of the flower, making the flower very similar to a blooming poppy.

It can be assumed that the species of Cistus Sundew will be divided into subspecies and varieties in the near future.

Rosyanka Ordynskaya

Horde Rosyanka grows on sandy soils in Western Australia. A distinctive feature is wide petioles, densely covered with silvery tentacle hairs. The plant forms rosettes from 8 cm to 30 cm in diameter. The numerous leaves of Sundew Ordynskaya consist of a long, hairy petiole supporting an almost round leaf blade covered with tentacles. During the dry season, the leaves become smaller and dormant. Flowering occurs from December to April. The flowers are white and pink, about 1.5 cm in diameter. The plant requires a lot of light, optimal temperature growth – +18…+30 °C. Does not withstand frost.

This is a low, broad-leaved, tuberous plant about 6 cm in diameter. The color of the leaves at the beginning of the growing season is pale green, and by the end of the growing season it gradually becomes golden yellow and redder. Sundew bulbous grows in Western Australia. It has a typical rosette of leaves. It blooms from April to June with white flowers. The difference is the presence of yellow pollen and stems that form an annular space (crown) around the open tip of the ovary.

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June 20th, 2013

There is a group of plants in the magnificent kingdom of Flora, which at all times not only delighted naturalists and naturalists, but also served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the creators of chilling fables, in which human imagination more than made up for the lack of accurate knowledge and facts.

These plants belong to different families and live in a wide variety of climatic zones - from the Arctic tundra to the equatorial jungle. But they have one common feature- they are all insectivorous predators, whose main business in life is hunting. And even though the prey, by our standards, is small, and the hunting process itself is silent, in these dramatic fights between plant and animal, the great law of the eternal movement of Nature is revealed to the attentive observer - the struggle for survival.

Sundews are one of the most common insectivorous plants. They grow all over the world and number about 100 species, most of which live in Australia and New Zealand. Their typical representative is the large-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), often growing in swamps temperate zone Northern Hemisphere. The British gave this sundew the poetic name sun-dew, that is, “solar dew.”

Indeed, the hunting leaves of this plant are unusual - they resemble a small plate, the upper part of which is covered with numerous hairs, and at the tip of each of them there is a drop of sticky liquid sparkling in the sun, attracting the attention of a potential victim. An inviting drop of “dew” turns out to be sticky mucus, which deprives the insect of the opportunity to escape. The sundew leaf is unusually sensitive - just the lightest touch is enough, and all its hairs begin to move, bending towards the center in an effort to “generally” cover the victim with an adhesive substance and move it to the very middle of the leaf - where the digestive villi are located. Gradually, the sundew leaf closes over the insect, turning into a kind of tiny stomach.

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As you know, most plants get the nutrients they need from the soil. Some of them chose a different path and, in the course of their evolution, acquired amazing devices for catching and subsequently digesting insects. Let's make a reservation right away, so exotic way food was chosen not out of whim, but out of necessity, because the swampy soils on which most plant predators live are very scarce and can only provide them with a “subsistence minimum”

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Experiments show that plants that live only from root nutrition, unlike their counterparts that receive animal food, are noticeably stunted in growth and are in an extremely depressed state. Plants living in marshy soils suffer from a lack of various substances: phosphorus, potassium and especially nitrogen. In a natural desire to somehow replenish this “starvation ration,” plants developed various trapping organs, which are nothing more than modified leaves equipped with glands that secrete digestive enzymes and organic acids, allowing the plant to assimilate the caught prey. It is easy to assume that insectivorous plants - like some kind of botanical curiosity - are quite rare in nature. However, it is not. This group of plants includes almost 500 species from 6 families, various representatives of which are found in all parts of the world. Although the greatest species diversity of such predators, of course, is inherent in the tropics.

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One of the most beautiful sundews is the Cape sundew (Drosera capensis). Its stem, usually reaching several centimeters in height, bears thin elongated leaves. Numerous, very attractive flowers gradually open on the plant. However, the Cape sundew is, although charming, a convinced predator, patiently waiting for prey. The digestion process usually takes several days.

Sundew glands secrete a liquid containing organic acids (mainly benzoic and formic) and digestive enzymes such as pepsin, which break down insect proteins into simpler compounds that the plant can absorb. Charles Darwin, who carried out numerous observations and experiments with large-leaved sundew, discovered the amazing ability of this plant to digest even pieces of bone and cartilage. From insects caught by sundews, only chitinous covers, insoluble by enzymes, remain, which are soon washed off from the surface of the trapping leaf by rain or carried away by the wind.

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All sundews are carnivorous plants. The sticky substance produced by the leaves contains the alkaloid coniine, which has a paralytic effect on insects, and digestive enzymes. Once the insect is caught, the edges of the leaf close, enveloping it entirely. The speed of leaf folding in some sundew species is quite significant, especially in Drosera burmannii.

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This method of feeding the plant allows, in conditions of depleted soils, to absorb from the insect during its digestion such substances as are useful for the plant, such as salts of sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and nitrogen. After the insect has digested (usually taking several days), the leaf opens again.

The leaf folding mechanism is selective and reacts only to organic food, while accidental impacts in the form of a drop of water or a fallen leaf do not cause the digestive process.

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In the European part of Russia, Siberia, and the Far East, three species are found: round-leaved sundew, king's eyes, sundew, crabgrass (Drosera rotundifolia L.); English or longleaf sundew (Drosera anglica Huds.); intermediate sundew (Drosera intermedia Hayne.). These sundews, native to temperate climates, withstand cold winters by forming special, densely packed wintering buds. Such buds can be stored in an airtight bag in a small amount of sphagnum moss for four to five months.

Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia L.), or common sundew, is a frost-resistant rosette plant, the most widespread species growing in our country. Forms inflorescences consisting of small white or pink flowers in summer and autumn. Although this species is still widely distributed in sphagnum bogs in cold regions of North America, Europe and Asia, in some parts of its range its populations have been greatly reduced due to bog drainage and peat harvesting. The 1997 Red List lists it as a threatened species.

English sundew (Drosera anglica Huds.) grows in sphagnum bogs, often together with round-leaved sundew. This species is widespread in areas with temperate climate in North America (Canada, USA), Europe, the European part of Russia, Siberia, the Far East (Kamchatka, Primorye, Sakhalin), Japan. In some parts of the range it is endangered due to disturbance of natural habitats and is included in the Red Books and Lists rare plants some regions of Russia.

Filamentous sundew (Drosera filiformis) is a beautiful plant that reaches 50 cm in height and develops erect, linear leaves that are shiny and shimmering. There are two varieties of this species - the filamentous sundew (Drosera filiformis var. filiformis), which grows from the northeastern and mid-Atlantic parts of the United States to a small area on the Florida peninsula; and Tracy's sundew (Drosera filiformis var. tracyi) - from the northern Gulf Coast. The filamentous sundew is most endangered in the southern part of its North American range, where acidic swamps are being developed in lowland grass savannas.

Other rosette sundews form a group of closely related tropical species endemic to a small area tropical forests in Queensland, Australia.

Adele sundew (Drosera adelae) is quite large in size and very unpretentious. Characterized by elongated lanceolate leaves, it grows along streams in sandy soils near the ocean coast. Tolerant to brighter light and cooler living conditions than related species, but it does not tolerate frost.

Sundew (Drosera prolifera) grows on wet rocks and rocky shores. Unlike closely related species, this tropical plant rapidly growing throughout the area. New plants form on the peduncle at the point of contact with the ground.

The lemon sundew (Drosera schizandra) is known from only one locality, where it prefers heavily shaded sandy areas along streams. This sundew is characterized by the development of a notch at the top of old flat oval leaves.

Royal sundew (Drosera regia) - rare view genus, reaching 30 cm in height and having dark pink flowers. This species is represented by only a few natural populations in South Africa. She has the most large leaves— their length in nature can reach from 60 cm to 2 m. In the Red List it is classified as a rare species.

Peat bogs form over millions of years. Living swamps are highly wetted, acidic and very poor in nutrients, so only very specialized plants can survive in such conditions, for example species of sundews and sphagnum moss. For centuries, European farmers cut down blocks of peat to use as fuel. Then peat began to be cut down for agricultural needs, sphagnum moss used for lining wire baskets, and high-moor (sphagnum) peat is used as a soil restorer; Both moss and peat are valued for their high water-holding properties. After the peat is harvested, the bog dries up and living flora begins to die.

IN folk medicine sundew finds some use: externally, the juice of its glands is used to exterminate warts; It is used internally as a diaphoretic and diuretic, for fevers, and for eye diseases. In Italy, sundew is used to prepare the liqueur “Rosolio”, and used to be part of the so-called “aqua auri”.

Some enthusiasts maintain entire collections of original insectivorous plants in cultivation. Almost all types are easy to find on sale. Most sundews are evergreens, some of them go dormant in winter or summer. Sundews feel best in glass or plastic terrariums.

They range from non-frost-resistant to those that can withstand prolonged severe winter frosts. All of them, with the exception of a few species, prefer bright sun. The temperature should be low, warm room The sundew will not survive the winter, so a cold winter is necessary. It is recommended to water with rainwater through wide pallet, in which a pot with a plant is placed. The humidity is high, but it is better not to spray the plant. The soil is acidic, sphagnum moss or peat with added sand. Seed propagation and propagation by leaf cuttings are preferred.

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Carnivorous plants are an interesting extraordinary phenomenon, when representatives of flora and fauna suddenly change places, and delicate flower becomes a hunter who knows how to patiently wait for prey and quickly destroy it. Almost 300 species of predator plants have been recorded.

They belong to a variety of families and are distributed in many climatic zones - from Arctic deserts to the tropics. These also live in Russian spaces. Similar insectivorous representatives of the plant kingdom include roundleaf sundew- one of a genus of carnivorous plants of the sundew family, living in swamps, sandy and mountainous areas. The article is dedicated to her.

Species features

This pretty grass is found on any type of soil, but more often it can be seen in raised bogs, where there is no soil in the normal sense of the word, but only peat and All plants belonging to the genus of sundews, including round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia l), - insectivores. The plant gets its name from the droplets of clear liquid that appear on the fine hairs covering the leaves.

Today, almost one and a half hundred species of sundews are known, and all of them are predators. A similar feature in plants of this genus appeared not at the whim of nature, but because of the need for literally to obtain food, since they grow on poor swampy or sandy soils, which have practically no nutrients.

Leaves as a catching mechanism

What characteristics of the species of Sundew rotundifolia do the reference books give? The plant's adaptability to catching insects is impressive. Longer reddish hairs located along the edges of the leaves produce a sticky substance containing the alkaloid coniine, which paralyzes insects that are careless to sit on the insidious leaf. A fly that lands on a leaf sticks tightly to it, and the plant does not sleep - the edges of the leaf slowly curl, completely enveloping the prey.

The inner part of the leaf is lined with shorter hairs containing substances identical to digestive enzymes. They begin to act when the leaf is curled. The immobilized insect soon dies, and the leaf gradually assimilates it. In a similar way, round-leaved sundew compensates for the catastrophic lack of minerals necessary for development, but absent in the places where they occur. The unique grass demonstrates miracles of survival in swamps and, having adapted to difficult conditions, develops excellently.

Round-leaved sundew: description

This herbaceous perennial- a plant with amazing adaptive ability, adapted to winter in a special way - before wintering it forms buds that go deep into the thickness of the moss, so it is impossible to see the plant already in October.

And in the spring, when the snow melts, one-year-old shoots appear from them - thin and not very long. On top of the sphagnum a pressed leaf rosette is formed, in which there can be up to a dozen leaves located on long (up to 5-8 cm) petioles. The rounded sundew gave its name to the species of round-leaved sundew. The leaflet is small, reaching 1 cm in diameter, pubescent a huge amount hairs and has a green or reddish tint. Its color depends on the degree of illumination - the more light, the greener the leaf.

Flowering and reproduction

Despite the fact that the round-leaved sundew appears immediately after the snow melts, flowering occurs unusually late - only in mid-summer. For a predatory plant, but pollinated by insects, nature has thought of the safest way - sundew flower stalks stretch 25-30 cm, and arriving bees do not fall on the leaves, which usually lie on the surface of the soil. Small white or slightly pinkish flowers, single or collected in a small inflorescence or tassel, bloom at the top of the peduncle.

The flower has five petals and has nectaries to attract insect pollinators. Pollinated flowers form seed pods, which are fully ripened by early September. The capsule opens, the seeds scatter over the surface of the swamp, burrow into the sphagnum and germinate next spring, repeating the traditional life cycle.

Carnivorous plant sundew rotundifolia: application

Sundews are famous not only for their unusual way of life and habitat. The first documentary evidence of them healing properties- works of English scientists of the 17th century. Then the valuable property of the plant was noticed - to suppress and cure cough.

The chemical composition of the plant is remarkable: it contains a number of organic, phenopolycarboxylic acids, calcium and potassium salts, tannins and dyes, flavonoids and tonins. But the main feature is the presence of naphthoquinone derivatives - droserone and plumbagin, which can suppress the development of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, in particular the causative agents of whooping cough.

Use of this plant in traditional medicine associated with the substances included in its composition. Sundew has expectorant, diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties and is used to relax smooth muscles.

Medicines based on this herb are most often prescribed for bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough, and tracheitis.

Use in folk medicine

Traditional medicine uses the properties of sundew much more widely, using it not only for pulmonary diseases. Using tinctures and decoctions, they treat atherosclerosis (including coronary vessels of the heart), epileptic seizures, candidiasis, colds, fevers and headaches.

The most effective is the use of sundew preparations as a component in herbal preparations. For example, its effect increases if the plant is used in combination with violet and plantain.

Homeopathy does not stand aside either. Successfully using the qualities of plants such as round-leaved sundew, spurge, juniper, this area of ​​medicine, in addition to treating respiratory diseases, practices external use for skin diseases of various origins. For example, warts are treated by applying fresh leaves to them with the inside.

Features of preparation and application

The entire above-ground part of the plant is recognized as medicinal. It is recommended to harvest it during flowering. Dry in ventilated areas. You can also use special dryers, setting the drying temperature to no higher than 40˚C. Store the herb in cotton bags for no more than two years.

It is important to remember that the use of sundew preparations involves:

Accurate adherence to the dosage, since exceeding it will cause Negative consequences- vomiting, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea;

Careful and exclusively external use of freshly picked leaves.

Intensive use in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as widespread drainage of swamps, has led to the fact that today this species is on the verge of extinction. unique plant, like round-leaved sundew. The Red Book protects the plant, controlling the seasonal harvest, but everyone should think about this and not pick it unnecessarily.

How to grow sundew at home

The picky sundew can be successfully grown at home by sowing seeds that can be collected in the fall, or by replanting the plant with a small plot of soil in which it grew in nature.

The best substrate suitable for sundews is a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts, imitating the natural composition. It is advisable to water the plant from below by placing the container with sundew in a pan of water. You cannot spray the plant; the decorative effect it has will be lost. Sundews don’t need any feeding, extra food could harm her. Proper care care for the plant consists only of good moisture and the correct composition of the soil. If these conditions are met, the round-leaved sundew will bloom on the windowsill in the summer, delighting the gardener with delicate flowers.

Sundew (lat. Drosera) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Sundew family. In the natural environment, they can be found in the mountains, swamps and sandstones in all corners of the planet (the largest part is concentrated in New Zealand and Australia), excluding Antarctica.

The stem is herbaceous, thin or thickened. In most species, the leaf plates are collected in a basal rosette. The surface and edges of the leaves are covered with large glandular hairs. When irritated, they secrete a sticky substance - transparent drops that look like dew. Due to this, the plant received its official name.

Sundew - a predator plant

This is a carnivorous predator plant. This group of the flora kingdom not only delights researchers, but also served as a source for the creation of chilling fables, because the flight of wild imagination has little basis in facts.

Most plants get their nutrients from the soil, but some must find other ways to survive. Plants living in marshy, depleted soils suffer from a lack of nutrients. In order to “satisfy their hunger” during evolution, they acquired devices for catching and digesting insects.

It has been experimentally proven that such plants (carnivorous) grow and develop better than their counterparts that live thanks to root nutrition. This group is not insignificant: 6 families with 500 species. They are all united by a common goal - hunting. Even if by human standards the prey is insignificant, and the process itself is silent, but the magnificence of the fight between a plant and an insect in the struggle for survival does not leave anyone indifferent.

Among insectivorous plants, sundews are the most common. Among the people, she received nicknames: flycatcher, charming killer, sunny dew (such a poetic name was given by the British).

Sundew and insects

The modified leaves are equipped with glands that secrete organic acids and digestive enzymes. They are unusually sensitive to contact: all the hairs quickly begin to move, “generously” stick around the victim with an adhesive substance, bend in the central part, pushing the prey to the digestive villi.

The leaf gradually closes, forming something like a stomach. It is worth noting that sundews only react to organic matter (if drops of water, sand, fallen leaves, etc. enter, the coagulation mechanism does not work). After digestion of the insect, only the chitinous shell remains, which is carried away by the wind or washed away by rain. Then the sheet unfolds again in anticipation of the next victim. Charles Darwin experimentally established that the sundew species large-leaved is capable of digesting pieces of cartilage and bones.

Sundew caught prey video:

It’s a fascinating sight to see how helpless prey tries in vain to escape the bonds of a predatory plant, only becoming more entangled in the sticky substance that covers the sundew’s villi.

When does sundew bloom?

The flowering period occurs in the spring and summer months. A long flowering stem emerges from the center of the leaf rosette. The spike-shaped inflorescence consists of cream, white or bright pink flowers. every single flower equipped with a double perianth, the corolla consists of 4-8 petals.

Growing conditions

Sundews indoors are an activity for enthusiasts. Plants are often found on sale, but to admire their mysterious splendor you will need to create certain conditions. Most sundews are evergreens, some go into retirement (in summer or winter period). The charming killer will feel best in a plastic or glass terrarium. The depth required is such that the plant protrudes beyond the edges.

Caring for sundew at home

Priming

The soil requires a poor, loose, acidic reaction. The optimal soil composition is: 3 parts peat, 2 parts quartz sand and 1 part perlite.

Lighting

It requires bright light, but must be protected from the scorching rays of the sun. Place it at some distance from the south window; a place where direct sunlight comes only in the evening is suitable. You can resort to artificial lighting.

Air temperature

For growing sundews in warm time year is 18 °C, in winter the range is 7-10 °C. For species growing in the natural environment in northern latitudes, the indicators may be lower: 13-18 °C in summer and 5 °C in winter.

Watering

The plant needs frequent watering, but the soil should not become waterlogged or dry out. Avoid getting droplets of water on the leaves of the plant - it is better to use bottom watering (place it on a wide tray with water).

For watering, use rain or distilled water (tap water, even settled water, can destroy the plant).

Air humidity

It is important to maintain high. You cannot spray the plant (you can humidify the air around the plant), periodically place it on a tray with damp moss, expanded clay or pebbles, use special air humidifiers.

Feeding

You don’t need to feed the plant yourself, but some gardeners sometimes recommend “feeding” the predator with ants or flies. During the warmer months, take the sundews outside to provide an opportunity to obtain prey naturally.

Rest period

For most, it falls in winter. Growth rates slow down and leaves may die. The air temperature should be lowered, watering should be reduced (it is enough to moisten the substrate once a week), the lighting should remain bright.

How to transplant sundew

There is no need to replant the plant immediately after purchase. First, the plant must adapt to the new conditions for a couple of weeks.

Plant once every 2 years. The most favorable period is spring, when the sundew awakens after dormancy and its growth is activated. For planting, choose a low (about 10 cm high), light (to prevent the soil from overheating) container with good drainage holes.

One plant is planted in one pot. Carefully remove from the old soil, holding it by the leaves. New soil Spray with distilled water, make a hole and plant. For several days after transplantation, there will be no “dew” on the leaves, which is normal. Provide shade; you can cover it with a hood to maintain a high level of humidity. 7 days are enough for adaptation.

Growing sundews from seeds

You can even get plant seeds at home - most types of flycatcher are capable of self-pollination. The flower closes to carry out this process.

The seeds are numerous, very small, black.

• To grow sundews from seeds, take a bowl with a sand-peat mixture, distribute the seeds over the surface, spray the soil (in the future, use bottom watering so as not to “drown” small seeds).
• Wrap the top with film or cover with glass, provide warmth (about 25 °C) and diffused lighting.
• Shoots will appear in about 2-5 weeks.
• Maintain the temperature between 22-25 °C.
• The first pair of leaves will be non-carnivorous; when 4 leaves appear, plant them in separate containers.
• Next, you care for it as you would for an adult plant.

Vegetative propagation

The transplantation procedure can be combined with dividing the bush. The mother plant is divided into a couple of parts, and the daughter rosettes (if any) are also separated. Place in separate containers.

Propagation by leaf cuttings is possible. Cut the leaf, divide it into segments, root it in damp sphagnum moss. Cover the top with film or glass. Provide the same conditions as when germinating seeds. The sprouts will appear in a couple of months - transplant them into a separate pot.

You can root flower shoots. They will have to be cut before the flower appears. Cut closer to the base, root while ensuring greenhouse conditions.

Diseases and pests

The main problem when growing sundews is root rot. This happens due to waterlogging of the soil and too low temperatures. The plant slows down its growth rate, the stem and leaves darken. Most often the plant dies.

Possible infection with botrytis (gray rot). Required emergency transplant. Remove affected areas and treat with fungicide.

Among the pests, aphids may bother you - treat them with an insecticide.

Useful properties of the plant

The juice of the plant is used externally to treat warts. It is taken orally as a diuretic and diaphoretic for fever. The decoction is used in the treatment of whooping cough and cough.

Based on the juice, preparations are made to treat eye inflammation.

The plant is an ingredient in the Italian liqueur Rosolio.

Types of sundews with photos and videos

Cape sundew Drosera capensis

One of the most beautiful and popular species. The plant is about 12 cm high. It is equipped with atypical tentacles-hairs of whitish color, with the help of which it captures prey. During the flowering period, a spike-shaped inflorescence with small white flowers appears.

Round-leaved sundew or common sundew Drosera rotundifolia

It has round basal leaves covered with reddish tentacles. The flowering stem reaches a height of 20 cm. It blooms in mid-summer. The flowers are white or pinkish. Folk names of this type: Tsar's eyes, dew, dew, solar dew, God's dew.

English sundew Drosera anglica

The lanceolate-shaped leaf blades are about 10 cm long, directed upward. The height of the flowering stem is 10-25 cm. It typically blooms in mid-summer, the flowers are whitish. Has medicinal properties. In medicine, the entire terrestrial part is used. When the plant acquires a dark brown, almost blackened hue, it cannot be used due to its high toxicity.

Filamentous sundew Drosera filiformis

The narrow leaves rise up to a height of about half a meter, thanks to the glandular coating they shimmer and shimmer.

Has subspecies:

• Filamentous sundew (Drosera filiformis var. filiformis) - found naturally in the USA.
• Tracy's variety (Drosera filiformis var. tracyi) - can be found along the Gulf Coast.

Sundew Adele Drosera adelae

A low plant with elongated, lanceolate-shaped leaves. More resistant to direct sunlight.

Sundew Drosera prolifera

The diameter of the leaf rosette is about 6 cm; the heart-shaped leaves are attached to long petioles. The leaves are rich green in color, turning yellow when exposed to light, and turning orange to purple when cold. It grows quickly and easily: new plants appear in places where the flowering stem touches the soil. It has a unique (for sundew) method of reproduction - by antennae, similar to strawberries.

Schisandra sundew Drosera schizandra

The leaf blades look like blades with an oval top; there is a notch along the leaf. When growing, keep in mind that the leaves are thin, fragile, and easy to damage. Provide shade, good soil aeration and high air humidity.

Royal sundew Drosera regia

Rare species, found in South Africa. It has the largest leaves: from 60 cm to 2 m long. The flowers are dark pink.

Intermediate sundew Drosera intermedia

It is considered the most unpretentious sundew plant to grow and care for; it does not require a period of rest. The leaves are lanceolate, curved, and due to the thick covering of glands, the color appears red. The height is no more than 8 cm. Flowering occurs in summer, the flowers are white.

Sundew Drosera binata

The height of the plant reaches 60 cm. It is distinguished by its forked, branching, narrow leaves. It has no dormant period and blooms almost all year round (white flowers).

Alicia's sundew Drosera aliciae

Originally from the subtropics of South Africa. The oblong leaves are sessile, arranged in several tiers, forming a round rosette. The leaf color is green-yellow with red tentacles. The flowers are pinkish.

Burman's sundew Drosera burmannii

The leaves are wedge-shaped, reach a length of 10 cm, and are collected in a basal rosette. Racemose inflorescences consist of 1-3 white corollas. Excellent propagation by seeds.

Hairy sundew Drosera capillaris

The spoon-shaped leaves form a dense basal rosette, the height of the plant is 2-4 cm, under ideal conditions it reaches a height of 7 cm. Flowering occurs in April, the flowers are a soft pink hue.

Drosera glanduligera sundew

The bladed leaves are attached to oblong petioles and form a spherical rosette. The mechanism for catching insects is interesting: with the help of the movement of shoots, the plant “catapults” the victim to the center of the leaf with lightning speed.

Sundew photo

The basal rosette is formed by numerous leaf plates. They are oblong, light green in color, with a coin-shaped tip and covered with tentacles. The diameter of the rosette is 5-30 cm, the height of the plant is up to 15 cm. It feels great at a temperature of +30-40 °C.

The name was obtained due to the similarity of the inflorescence with representatives of the Cistus family. This is a snow-white flower with a greenish core. There can also be bright colors: pink, crimson, red, orange. The height of the stem is about 40 cm. It is covered with narrow oblong leaves (2-5 cm long).

Horde sundew Drosera ordensis

The basal rosette is dense, 8-30 cm in diameter. The petioles are long, wide, of a juicy green hue, ending in a rounded leaf plate with tentacles. Blooms during December-April.

Sundew Drosera bulbosa

The oblong leaves with a rounded top are spread out into a single-tier rosette with a diameter of up to 6 cm, the leaves are tightly adjacent to the soil surface. Flowering occurs in April-June.

In Siberia, the European part of Russia, and the Far East, you can find three types of plants: intermediate sundew, round-leaved sundew, and English sundew. They form tightly packed buds - they can be stored in a breathable bag with a small amount of sphagnum moss for 4-5 months.