Drosera, which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which the plants grow. Various species, which vary greatly in size and form, are native to every continent except Antarctica.
Drosera indica, sometimes known as the Indian sundew, is a species of sundew native to tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar and tropical and subtropical Asia. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum in 1753. Until the early 21st century it was mostly considered a highly variable species with a wide distribution including Australia, but since 2000 several distinct species have been separated from D. indica within Drosera section Arachnopus, which is often referred to as the ‘Drosera indica complex’. Many of these species are endemic to Australia, but D. indica itself is now widely considered to be absent from that country.
Drosera monticola is a perennial carnivorous plant species in the genus Drosera, the sundews. This species is endemic to a single mountain range in Western Australia.
Drosera gigantea, the giant sundew, is an erect perennial tuberous species in the carnivorous plant genus Drosera that is endemic to Western Australia. It grows in sandy soils at the margins of swamps and near granite outcrops along the Western Australian coast from Albany north to just south of Geraldton. D. gigantea produces small shield-shaped leaves along many lateral branches that look like a small tree. Individual plants can grow up to 0.2–1 m (0.7–3.3 ft) tall. Because of its tall, tree-like form, it is considered one of the largest Drosera species. It is also easily cultivated and enjoys damp, humid conditions often provided in greenhouses. White flowers emerge from August to November. The red tubers of this species can grow to be 3.8 cm (1.5 in) in diameter and may be a metre below ground.
Alastair S. Robinson is a taxonomist and field botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes, for which he is regarded as a world authority. He is currently Manager Biodiversity Services at the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, where he oversees identification botany services, the Library and Artwork components of the State Botanical Collection, and the botanical journal Muelleria, a peer-reviewed scientific journal on botany published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, for which he is Editor in Chief.
Drosera glanduligera, commonly known as the pimpernel sundew or scarlet sundew, is a species of carnivorous plant endemic to southern Australia. It is an ephemeral annual plant that grows in the winter and flowers from August to November.
Drosera finlaysoniana is a species of sundew native to Australia, Hainan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Mainland Southeast Asia. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual.
Drosera citrina is a pygmy sundew, a type of carnivorous plant. It is native to Western Australia. The Latin specific epithet citrina means "lemon coloured", referring to the colour of the flowers. It is closely related to Drosera nivea, which was considered a variety of D. citrina in the past called Drosera citrina var. nivea
Drosera nivea is a species of carnivorous plant. It is a pygmy sundew and is native to Western Australia. The specific epithet nivea is derived from the Latin word niveus, meaning white, in reference to the colour of the plant's flower. It is closely related to Drosera citrina and has previously been considered a variety of D.citrina known as D. citrina var. nivea.
Andreas Fleischmann is a German botanist specialising in carnivorous plants, particularly Droseraceae and Lentibulariaceae. He has (co-)published at least 46 new taxa including 14 species of Drosera (sundews), 7 species of Genlisea, 8 species of Heliamphora and 3 species of Pinguicula (butterworts).
Drosera aquatica is a species of sundew endemic to the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in 2013. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera aurantiaca is a species of sundew endemic to the Northern Territory and the north of Western Australia. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in his 2014 Carnivorous Plants of Australia Magnum Opus. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera barrettiorum is a species of sundew endemic to the north of Western Australia. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in his 2014 Carnivorous Plants of Australia Magnum Opus. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera cucullata is a species of sundew endemic to the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in his 2014 Carnivorous Plants of Australia Magnum Opus. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera glabriscapa is a species of sundew endemic in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in his 2014 Carnivorous Plants of Australia. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera maanyaa-gooljoo is a species of sundew endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was first described by Andreas Fleischmann and Thilo Krueger in 2023. The type material was collected much earlier, in 1982, but was originally categorised within D. indica and later as a form of D. fragrans. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera margaritacea is a species of sundew endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was first described by Thilo Krueger and Andreas Fleischmann in 2021. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera nana is a species of sundew endemic to the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in his 2014 Carnivorous Plants of Australia Magnum Opus. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
Drosera serpens is a species of sundew native to southeast Asia and tropical northern Australia. It was first described by Planchon in 1848. Like other members of Drosera sect. Arachnopus it is an annual therophyte.
