Sundew
Drosera peltata
Family: Droseraceae
What it is like
Drosera peltata is an evergreen Annual/Perennial growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Grassy slopes, 1500 - 3600 metres in the Himalayas. Wet places in Japan. Sunny hillsides in China.
E. Asia - China to the Himalayas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
The plant is anodyne, blood tonic and carminative. It is used in India in making gold bhasma, which is antisyphilitic, alterative and tonic. The crushed leaves, with or without salt, have been used as a blistering agent. This can be of value as a poultice since it brings more blood to the area and helps speed the clearance of toxins in arthritis and rheumatism.
Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.
Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.
Blood tonic: Is this any different to a blood purifier?
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Rubefacient: A counter-irritant and external stimulant, it produces inflammation and redness of the skin.
VD: Used in the treatment of venereal disease
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a sandy peaty soil, succeeding in poor soils and in bogs. An insectivorous plant, it can survive in nitrogen poor soils because it gets the nutrients it needs from insects. The upper surfaces of leaves are covered with hairs that secrete a sweet sticky substance.This attracts insects, which become smeared with it and unable to escape - the plant then exudes a digestive fluid that enables it to absorb most of the insect into its system. A highly variable species in the wild. This sundew is not very hardy in Britain and is best treated as a greenhouse plant.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a free-draining soil with some charcoal added and with a layer of finely chopped sphagnum moss on top. Surface sow and keep the compost moist. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Best place to grow: Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Perennial
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist, wet
Things to keep in mind
The plant is slightly toxic according to one report.