Drosera fulva is a sundew in the section Lasiocephala (petiolaris complex). The name of the species references the tawny colour of the pressed herbarium specimen (fulvus = tawny orange).

D. fulva is a medium sized sundew with a rosette of semi-erect leaves. As with other members of the petiolaris complex, the plant looks different depending on its stage in the annual growth cycle. During active growth, the petioles are mostly glabrous, dilated and coloured vivid green. The laminae are orbicular and coloured red. As the dry season approaches, the new leaves develop a very dense covering of dendritic hairs and reduce in size until a protective bud of hairs is formed. The flowers are formed on a long peduncle, which is glabrous below the blooms. The inflorescence is covered in short dendritic hairs and the pedicels are pendulous in fruit.

The species is endemic to the Top End of the Northern Territory where it grows in sandy substrates in the seasonally inundated floodplains. The species flowers from the latter half of its growth period into the start of the dry season.

Petiolaris complex sundews can be hard to identify, especially without an inflorescence or when outside the peak of their growth period. In its range, D. fulva is most similar to D. dilatatopetiolaris can chiefly be indentified by its dilated, semi-erect petioles that are vivid green in colour (D. dilatatopetiolaris is also semi-erect but usually less dilated and redder). The flower stalk is tall and the pedicels are pendulous in fruit (the pedicels of D. dilatatopetiolaris are erect). It is also fairly similar to D. brevicornis but can be distinguished by its peduncle, which is glabrous near the base (the flower stalks of D. brevicornis have hairs along their length).