Range: Kimberly region, Western Australia, to Arnhem Land and Kakadu National Park, NT Australia

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This species has proffered significant confusion due to several strains of a likely undescribed species that has been widely distributed under its name in cultivation. It is an inhabitant of shallow sand soils and sandstone cracks or amongst moss pads over sandstone outcrops and seepages. The true species develops an erect stem up to 30 cm in height with significantly larger examples reported, topped with a loose rosette of pincushion leaves that splay in all directions. Plants may develop rosettes up to 10 cm in diameter, with very slender linear petioles sparsely to moderately covered in small, stiff white hairs, and rounded lamina up to 0.5 cm in diameter at the tips. Coloration may range from almost entirely green with orange-tinted tentacles to somewhat red-tinted with orange to solid red lamina. Inflorescences can be numerous, curving out from or below the rosette and upward to 40 cm tall and are densely covered in fine white hairs and up to 70 blooms. Flowers may be up to 2.5 cm in diameter, with obovate petals that can vary massively in coloration from white, pink, to purple and possibly even red or orange, and may even display paler tips with cerise to purple centers. This species can be distinguished from all of its relatives by its stem-forming habit and slender leaves that bear at least some notable indumentum.

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Cultivation: grow in a 2:1 sand/peat soil mix or loose sphagnum based soil, kept very moist to wet and moderately humid, with temps of 80-95°F for most of the year. Should plants show signs of going dormant, allow soil to dry to just barely damp until active growth resumes. Sow seeds on soil surface (older seeds may benefit from smokewater or GA3 treatment though this is still debated), and grow in strong artificial light to full sun.

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Lifespan and Reproduction: perennial. Reproduces through seed, and can be grown through leaf pullings or crown division.

 

Sources: Lowrie et al. (2017). Drosera of the World Vol. 2. Redfern Natural History Publications.