Drosera adelae
Ease to Grow: Easy
Dormancy: No
Native Range: Sandy riversides of northeastern Queensland, Australia
Zones: 12 (10-13)
The Lance-Leaved Sundew, Drosera adelae, is a low grower of medium size with a whorl of long, sword-shaped, green leaves and red sticky tentacles that glisten in the light. New leaves unfurl upright, but lay down as they mature. In bright light, the leaves grow narrow and shorter, and develop a bronze or red color. It is a very pretty tropical with traps year round. It prefers high humidity, partial shade in sandy-peaty soils. It readily produces small plantlets along the length of its roots, that can quickly fill a pot, form a small colony, or be harvested and shared with friends. The unique red to orangey-red, star-shaped flowers are on the ends of tall curling scapes, that resembles a shepherd's hook, that slowly unwinds, revealing more flowers over the course of several weeks. It is one of the few sundews with red flowers. It blooms from June to October, but does not produce seed readily. Though it is a tropical plant, it can tolerate drier, cooler conditions, even a light frost which may kill the upper leaves, but it will re-emerge from the root stock. It is an excellent terrarium plant, and a reliable performer for your collection. It is easy to grow and is a great beginner's plant. D. adelae shares the same habitat with D. schizandra and D. prolifera, but is more tolerant of a wider range of growing conditions. This selection comes from leaf cuttings or tissue culture and are identical to the parents.
Plants are shipped bare-root, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. Photographs are representative of species, and not the specific plant shipped.
Height: 2" - 4+"
Plant Type: Perennial, tropical
Soil: Upper Bog Mix or All-purpose Mix
Light: Bright to partial bright indoors, partial sun and light shade outdoors
Use: Grows well in the protected bog garden in summer, greenhouse and indoors. It is an excellent terrarium plant.
