Curious About the Lance Leaf Sundew? It’s Fascinating

               The Lance Leaf Sundew, Drosera Adelae, is a fascinating plant. Brought to us by the rainforests of Australia this curious plant grows sword like leaves covered in sticky tentacles. It is one of the “Sisters of Queensland” along with the Drosera Schizandra and the Drosera Prolifera. This Sundew is a great introduction to the world of carnivorous plants. Keep reading to learn more about this bug munching Curious Cultivar.

               CARNIVOROUS! So cool! Every time I look at my Sundews, I am just amazed that they even exist. Lance Leaf Sundews are a small tropical perennial carnivorous plant, with sword shaped leaves with sticky tentacles that trap and digest bugs. The Sundew flower ranges in color from red to cream, and the pedals make a perfect pentagon. Lance Leaf Sundew roots spread like crazy causing them to grow in clumps.

               Sundew plant care with the right growing medium and proper love is very forgiving. They love a good nutrient less growing medium that can hold lots of water. In my experience these sundews prefer a mixture of coarse perlite and sphagnum moss. Lance Leaf Sundews, like most carnivorous plants, will die if there is nutrient or mineral buildup around their roots. To prevent this from happening you should only water Sundews with rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water. The roots should never be allowed to completely dry out.

               Drosera Adelae absolutely loves humidity but can handle dryer conditions than the other Sisters of Queensland. They also thrive in the shade, growing large green leaves. However, if you grow them in brighter or more direct light, they will grow smaller leaves with vibrant red colors. A humidity tray under the plant filled with water is an easy way to prevent drying out and give the plant some extra humidity.

               Carnivores usually don’t have any issues catching enough bugs to survive, they are very effective trappers. If your plant really can’t catch any insects because it is indoors, you can feed them freeze dried blood worms from the fish food aisle. Lance Leaf Sundew cultivation is a great intro to carnivorous plants.

               These carnivores will procreate A-sexually when given good conditions. Lance Leaf Sundews will naturally grow in clumps, spreading its roots to produce as many baby plants as possible. I personally find that they produce more babies when given brighter light for longer hours.

               Propagation through leaf cuttings is also an easy and efficient option. Simply cut off a healthy Lance Leaf and put it into a small jar of proper water. Give the leaves in the jar some bright indirect light and keep the water fresh. After ten days or so you will see tiny baby plants emerging all over the Sundew leaves. Once these tiny plants are about a quarter inch tall you can remove them from the jar and lay them on a bed of growing medium. I like to do this in to-go trays to help keep up humidity. When your new babies are about an inch tall, they are ready to be separated and repotted.

               Native to Queensland, Australia the Drosera Adelae grows natural in dense rainforests. They thrive in shaded areas near waterfalls or creeks. In the low light of the rainforest the plants are a vibrant green and grow large leaves, up to 10”. Lance Leaves love a sandy or mossy creek bed with lots of clean, fresh water. The natural growing medium is almost entirely devoid of nutrients, so they evolved to feast on the many insects of the rainforest! The conditions this Australian Lance Leaf Sundew evolved in are wild.