Drosera acaulis Species Profile

Drosera acaulis Species Profile

Drosera acaulis is a rosetted sundew endemic to the mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa. The species is named for its extremely short flower stems, as if it doesn’t have any at all.

Drosera acaulis has a small rosette around 2-4 cm in diameter. The leaves are long and strappy, with a sparse covering of glands and hairs. The flower stalks are highly glandular and short, with flowers opening just above the leaves. The flowers are pink and can be almost as large as the rosette.

The species is endemic to high-elevation environments in the mountains of the Western Cape region of South Africa. It can be found in the Cederberg to Matroosberg mountain ranges. I observed the species at a ‘low lying’ site at around 1000 m elevation where it grew in flat ‘veld’ biome at the base of the hills. On Matroosberg, it can be covered in snow during winter.

Drosera acaulis is most similar to D. trinervia and D. afra, which can grow in the same niche. It is distinguished by its very short flower scape (D. trinervia and D. afra have tall flower scapes).

Drosera acaulis in the Koue Bokkeveld Mountains
Drosera acaulis in the Koue Bokkeveld Mountains
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