DROSERA HILARIS CARNIVOROUS SUNDEW SEEDS ENDEMIC IN PORT ELIZABETH

Drosera commonly known as the sundews comprises one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 171 species around the world. The genus includes annuals and perennials, large and small plants, and denizens of tropical, temperate, and polar habitats. They should not be confused with the ever popular Venus Fly Trap, Dionaea muscipula. 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 they grow. Both the botanical name and the English common name refer to the glistening drops of mucilage at the tip of each tentacle that resemble drops of morning dew.             Ethnobotanically a tea made from the plant was also used as a tranquilizer and aphrodisiac. Whether indigenous or exotic, Sundews deserve a little corner in all carnivorous plant collections. They make fascinating indoor houseplants. These curiosity plants grow best in pots filled with a mix of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Vermiculite and Horticultural Perlite. They can also be grown in our general Carnivorous Growing Medium. Drosera hilaris commonly known as the Cape Sundew is a South African endemic species found exclusively in the Western Cape Province. Drosera hilaris has an erect unbranched stem and magenta to reddish purple flowers during spring. These plants are from the winter rainfall area of South Africa and the seeds are best sown in autumn. They grow upright, partly from older trailing stems that are densely covered with the old withered drooping foliage.