Range: Panama, northern Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana

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Named after the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, this small rosetted species is one of several that might informally be placed in the “D. capillaris group,” and is generally considered synonymous with other previously described species such as D. panamensis and D. colombiana. Native to lowlands across the northern edge of South America and into the Panamanian isthmus, this species grows in open sandy savannahs, often in regions that seasonally experience flooded and notably dry conditions (during the latter of which plants die back and may survive as seeds or roots). Plants may reach up to 4 cm across, though often smaller, with a flat or slightly semi-erect rosette of spatulate leaves. Petioles are a third to two thirds the leaf length, broad and slightly tapering into the wider, triangular to obovate lamina (a similar design to D. natalensis or halfway between that species and capillaris). Coloration ranges from leafy green with red tentacles to solid wine red throughout. Tall flower stalks are produced during the rainy season, characteristically lined in filamentous silvery hairs and topped with a small number of large, 1 cm blooms bearing teardrop shaped, light pink or tinted white petals that often bear a notch at the tip. This species is distinguished from its closest relative D. capillaris by the broader and slightly tapered petiole, more typically rounded or oblong lamina as opposed to rounded-triangular, and most notably the pubescent flower stalks and larger blooms.

 

Cultivation: grow in a 2:1 sand/peat mix, kept moist to flooded and humid, with warm temperatures year round. Flowering may be best triggered by a seasonal change of moisture, letting the pot dry to just damp. Sow seeds on soil surface, and grow in strong artificial light to full sun.

 

Lifespan and reproduction: perennial. Reproduces through seeds and division or root regrowth, and can be grown through leaf and root cuttings.

 

Sources: http://guyane-l.over-blog.com/page-6000210.html

http://portal.cybertaxonomy.org/flora-guianas/node/2598

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