Drosera aliciae

Drosera aliciae

Family: Droseraceae

Common names: shepherd’s crook sundew, alice sundew (Eng.); sondou (Afr.)

It is a perennial carnivorous plant with a few, fairly thin, long roots. Wedge- to spoon-shaped leaves, up to 25 mm long and 7 mm wide, are tightly packed to form a dense, clumping basal rosette, 15-400 mm high. Leaves are often reddish and similar in size and are covered with reddish, sticky, glandular hairs. Older dead leaves are retained below, thus creating a mound. Petioles (leaf stalks) are absent but oval stipules up to 5 mm long and with three indentations are present on either side of the base of the lamina margin. The central lobe of the stipules is lance-shaped while the outer lobes are narrow, elongated bristles. Both marginal and discal (on the upper surface) tentacles are present. The lower surface of the lamina has a fine layer of short, dense hairs that lie flat.

Sowing instructions: Use a soil mix of 50% peat moss and 50% perlite. Make sure the soil is completely moist. Use a 4-inch pot if you are sowing a small pinch of these seeds. Sprinkle your seeds evenly over the soil and very gently tap them down. Keep your pot in standing water. Use a tray or a bowl to set your pot in, and fill it up with water. Keep the water line no more than half way up the pot. Use water that is low in minerals. Keep the air temperature between 75° and 85°F for optimal germination.

Locality: Hermanus. Harvest: December 2024