Range: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, northern Argentina

 

A very small, yet widespread Latin American sundew, this plant is nearly identical to the Asian/Australian D. burmannii and is considered by some to merely be a South American variant (especially given hybrids of the two are entirely fertile). It is an inhabitant of open, sandy soils around seepages and swamps, just about anywhere moisture may occur. Plants are typically annual and so grow primarily as flat rosettes to 4 cm across (more commonly 2-3cm), but in some places may survive several years and develop short stems shrouded in old leaves. The leaves themselves develop either with short, nearly nonexistent petioles or may develop when larger with distinct, broad glabrous petioles. Lamina are short and broadly triangular or obovate to more commonly nearly round, with a deep “cup” in the center and the edges ringed by elongate rapid-moving snap tentacles. Color is bright green or yellow-green with scarlet tentacles, to more rarely red-flushed or solid light crimson. Inflorescences rise straight up from the center of the plant and may be lengthy and wiry, often covered in small glandular trichomes, and may bear more than 20 flowers. Blooms are barely 1 cm in diameter at best, with small rounded light to rich pink petals. This species can be distinguished from its relative typically only by a full combination of traits: short or extremely thick petioles, rounded lamina, erect rather than ascending inflorescences, pink flowers, and short styles within the flowers.

 

Cultivation: grow in a 1:1 sand/peat soil, kept very moist to wet and humid with temps of 70-85°F year round. Sow seeds on soil surface and grow in strong artificial light to full sun. Regular feeding is a must in order to produce good seed sets and maintain plants longer than minimum annual lifespan.

 

Lifespan and reproduction: annual/short-term perennial. Reproduces only through seeds. Leaf or flower cuttings are near impossible.

 

Sources: https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/Dburmannii_Dsessilifolia

https://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/25297-d-burmannii-or-d-sessilifolia/