Drosera xerophila

No Common Name

Drosera xerophila is a strange species as far as sundews go, neglecting wet bogs and seeps in favour of deep, dry sands. Despite being a common sight in the Kogelberg and Kleinrivier  mountains it was only described as a species in 2017, formerly being a subspecies or variety of Drosera aliciae. Like the other dry-growing Fynbos sundews its leaves are a bright yellow-green with red tentacles, this species has a prominent “dent” in the end of the leaf.

This species is common on well-drained sands along the southern faces of coastal mountains where it receives moisture year-round from coastal fog. In extremely harsh conditions it’ll go dormant. Flowering occurs in summer with a tall inflorescence bearing multiple pink flowers typical of similar species.