Drosera capensis is a perennial herbaceous carnivorous plant in the drosera family, Droseraceae. Drosera capensis is more commonly known as the cape sundew and is native to the Cape of South Africa. The plant is rosette-forming with narrow tentacle-like leaves that average 1.5 inches in length. The leaves are covered in red trichomes that excrete sticky mucilage that trap and digest small insects. When insects are trapped in the leaves, they curl inward to secure their prey for absorption. Drosera capensis flowers form as one linear inflorescence or raceme and have 5 purple petals with 5 yellow anthers in the center. The plant is grown as an ornamental plant for its unique arthropod trapping leaves. Carnivorous plants require nutrient-poor soil as they uptake nutrients from their leaves and not roots. Soil should be composed of a mix of peat moss perlite and sand. Sundews thrive in full sun to partial shade or in sunny windowsills indoors. Place established plants in bodies of rain or distilled water. This may be achieved by creating a makeshift bog or placing pots in trays of water. High humidity allows the leaves to create more dew. Feed plants sparingly with live insects or use carnivorous plant fertilizer to mist leaves every 3 to 4 weeks. USDA plant hardiness zones 9a to 10b.
Wash potting medium with distilled or rainwater before sowing Drosera capensis seeds. After wetting the medium, surface sow seeds and lightly mist them in place. Be sure not to bury or blow the seeds away as they are small in size. Leave sown pots in bodies of water that are filled with the same type of water used before. Make sure there are holes at the bottom of pots to allow water to infiltrate from the bottom. Leave pots in bright, but not direct light, sitting at 70°F to 80°F. Germination typically takes 1 to 3 weeks to occur. Even with optimal conditions, germination may be slow and sporadic.
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