Round-leafed sundew, Dewplant
Drosera rotundifolia
Family: Droseraceae
What it is like
A small herb. It forms rings or leaves. It can be an annual or keep growing from year to year. It grows 5-10 cm high and spreads 10 cm wide. The leaves are cup shaped and on fine stalks. The flowers are very small and white or pink. They have 5 petals. They are on a leafless stalk. The fruit are capsules of winged seeds.
It is used in medicine. It contains plumbagin.
Where it is found
A temperate plant. It mostly grows on sphagnum moss. It needs wet peat in the sun. It is frost hardy. It suits hardiness zones 3-9.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Canada, Caucasus, China, Europe, Finland, Greenland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Middle East, North America, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Siberia, Slovenia, Sweden
How it is used for food
The leaves are used to distill a liquor. It is mixed with brandy, raisins and sugar and fermented. The juice from the leaves is used to curdle milk.
Up to 50 million plants are harvested from the wild annually in Finland.
Edible parts
Leaves - drink
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed. Leaf cuttings can be used. Plants can also be grown from root cuttings.
Its other names
Local names
Lustwort, Okroglolostna rosika, Sundew