Drosera pulchella ‘pink flower’ and utricularia bisquamata in bloom

drosera pulchella ‘pink flower,’ sharing a pot with utricularia bisquamata

My first carnivorous plant flowers of the year! These two plants share a pot, the nursery I ordered the sundews from also included the bladderwort in the pot with them.

Drosera pulchella is a pygmy sundew. Mine are each about the size of a nickel, give or take a little! When the ‘pink flower’ form blooms, the flowers are a beautiful soft pink with a slight metallic sheen. They only stay open less than a day, but are lovely for the short time they are open. Perhaps it’s exactly because their blooms are fleeting that they are so special! Pygmy sundews are difficult to propagate from seed, because the seeds are not only very tiny and sometimes sterile, but also sometimes just do not get made at all, so I do not bother trying to get seed from mine. It is much simpler to propagate them via gemmae, tiny brood bodies that the plant produces along its crown! Mine haven’t produced gemmae yet, but I will certainly be raising some new baby sundews once they do!

Utricularia bisquamata, on the other hand, reproduces easily from seed, so easily in fact that I am not propagating mine because I do not want so many! It is considered a weed in some collections, but I think that it is a great companion plant for pygmy sundews because the flowers are so small and delicate looking that they do not visually overpower the tiny sundews. It also makes a nice grassy “ground cover” in their pot!

Information about how I care for these plants under the cut!

Drosera capensis ‘Alba’

I have several pictures of this one, it isn’t the most photogenic but is a favorite plant of mine! I’ve had it for a while now, and it seems to put out a new leaf every day. Now, it has a flower stalk, too! I can’t wait to see it flower. The ‘Alba’ form of d. capensis is all green and white, lacking the usual pink or red coloration. It’s relatively large, and an impressive plant to behold! It’s also famed as one of the easiest plants to grow for beginners and experienced growers alike.

Information on how I care for my drosera capensis ‘Alba’ under the cut!

Flower stalk on drosera tokaiensis

Here, you can see the development of this plant’s flower stalk over a couple of days! Drosera tokaiensis is a naturally occuring hybrid of drosera spatulata and drosera rotundifolia. This particular plant is recovering from burn damage inflicted when the grow light was knocked over on top of it, which is why a portion of it appears browned. As you can see, though, it is very dewy and putting out healthy new growth, which is a good sign! This hybrid is a vigorous grower and can become weedy in large collections. I will post another photograph when it blooms.

Information on how I care for my drosera tokaiensis available under the cut!