Drosera schizandra is one of four closely related sundews from the rainforests of Far North Queensland. The species is one of the largest rosetted sundews, with broad leaves that adapt it well for the shaded rainforest floor.

Within the rainforest, D. schizandra grows in brighter aspects where the surrounding growth is comparatively thin. This includes steep slopes and aside large creeks where there is a nearby break in the canopy. The plants generally grow on well-drained embankments in these environments. At certain times of the day, dappled sunlight hits the plants whilst in the afternoon, they are plunged into deep shade. The species generally grows amongst leaf litter in a clay substrate.

Mt Bartle Frere and Bellenden Ker are remote and mostly inaccessible so the extensive habitats of the plants are not well characterised. They are recorded from 400 – 700 meters in elevation, although they might conceivably grow elsewhere. The temperature hovers 18 – 25 C year round. The rainfall is high and mainly concentrated around the summer wet season, although the orographic lift of the coastal air currents results in rain during the dry season too. Flowering occurs from September to November, coinciding with the start of the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season.