Drosera capillaris and Drosera brevifolia in the Wild + Growing Tips!

Drosera capillaris with some Drosera brevifolia (according to the back of the picture)

I've done a lot of field trip-esque posts recently about Sarracenia and thought I'd follow up Monday's post about Pinguicula of the southeast with one on Drosera of the southeast. In the southeast United States, there are two common species of Drosera - capillaris and brevifolia. Drosera intermedia and hybrids among capillaris, intermedia, and brevifolia do occur, but these are, generally, not as common as Drosera capillaris and Drosera brevifolia.

Drosera capillaris

Drosera capillaris and brevifolia are readily distinguished by two major factors - size and leaf shape. Drosera capillaris is larger than Drosera brevifolia, usually a minimum of 2-3 times as large for flowering sized plants. Of course, not every plant will be flowering size. Many will be younger. As a consequence, the real distinction is leaf shape:

Drosera brevifolia

Drosera capillaris

On the left is a close-up photo of Drosera brevifolia from the ICPS, showing the characteristic wedge-shape of the leaves, which are also almost entirely covered by sticky glands. On the right, is a close-up photo of Drosera capillaris, also from the ICPS, showing the rounded leaf pads covered by sticky glands, and the non-sticky leaf petiole. (Note: For some reason, Wikipedia seems to have a few photos of these two species mislabeled, just FYI for anyone looking on there).

I found both of these species to be very common in the southeast. Often, roadside ditches would hold no other carnivores except these two. D. capillaris was somewhat more frequent in occurrence than D. brevifolia, but not all-together infrequent.

One note, both of these species, in cultivation, will grow larger with a higher water table. Indeed, naturally, they are often accustomed to near-daily summer rain showers, which flood their habitats for several hours afterwards. Unlike Drosera intermedia, however, neither appears, from my expeditions, to grow in permanently standing water. D. brevifolia, in particular, would often grow high-up on roadside ditches than D. capillaris.

I've keep both D. capillaris and D. brevifolia in cultivation for many years and from many locations and non-locations and found them to be simple to grow plants. If in a suitable climate, I usually let them grow outside. In New England, however, I keep them inside, next to my tropical Drosera, like Drosera capensis, and do not give them a resting period. This seems to prevent Drosera brevifolia, which, in the wild, is an annual, from acting as an annual. I've found that it can flower several times over the course of several years before dying. It will self-seed, so there is little concern that it will no longer be in a collection once it is established.