Drosera anglica Huds.

Species Nomenclature and Growth Form

Drosera anglica Huds., the English sundew, is a perennial carnivorous herb that forms an upright, stemless rosette of generally linear-spatulate leaves.

Leaf Gland Characteristics

Like all sundews, its leaf blades (laminae) are densely covered with stalked reddish mucilaginous glands, each tipped with a clear droplet of viscous fluid used to trap insects.

Leaf Dimensions

The lamina itself measures 15–35 millimetres (0.59–1.38 in) long, and is held semi-erect by a long petiole, bringing the total leaf length to 30–95 millimetres (1.2–3.7 in).

Foliage Coloration

Plants are normally green, but turn red when grown in bright light.

Winter Resting Buds

All populations except those found on Kauaʻi form winter resting buds called hibernacula: these are knots of tightly curled leaves that sit at ground level, and unfurl in spring once the dormancy period ends.

Root System Traits

The root system of Drosera anglica is weak, and only penetrates a few centimeters into soil; it functions mainly as an anchor and for water absorption.

Carnivory Function

Because nitrogen is typically scarce in the bog habitats this plant occupies, trapping and digesting insects supplies it with an alternate source of nitrogen.

Flowering Peduncles

Drosera anglica flowers in summer, sending up 6–18 centimetres (2.4–7.1 in) long peduncles that hold several white flowers, which open one at a time.

General Flower Structure

Like other sundews, its flowers have five sepals, five petals, five stamens, and three styles.

Species-Specific Flower Traits

For this species, petals are 8–12 mm (¼ to ½ inch) long, and the flowers have branched 2-lobed styles.

Pollination Mechanism

The flowers are odorless and produce no nectar; they do not rely on insect pollinators, and instead set ample seed through self-pollination (autogamy).

Seed Characteristics

Seeds are black, roundish and spindle-shaped, and measure 1 to 1+1⁄2 mm long.

Fruit Characteristics

Fruits are dehiscent three-valved capsules.

General Habitat Preferences

Drosera anglica grows in open, non-forested habitat with wet, often calcium-rich soils.

Specific Habitat Types

Common habitats include bogs, marl fens, quaking bogs, cobble shores, and other calcareous sites.

Calcium Tolerance

This tolerance for calcium is relatively rare among other species in the Drosera genus.

Sphagnum Moss Association

D. anglica is often associated with various sphagnum mosses, and frequently grows in a soil substrate made entirely of living, dead, or decomposed sphagnum.

Sphagnum Soil Effects

Sphagnum wicks moisture to the soil surface while simultaneously acidifying the soil.

Soil Nutrient Dynamics

Any soil nutrients not leached away by constant moisture are usually either used up by sphagnum or made unavailable by low soil pH.

Competitive Advantage in Low-Nutrient Soil

Since nutrient availability is low, competition from other plants is reduced, which allows this carnivorous sundew to grow well.

Global Distribution Status

Drosera anglica is one of the most widely distributed sundew species in the world.

Circumboreal Range

It is generally circumboreal, meaning it is found at high latitudes across the globe.

Southern Range Extensions

It also occurs farther south in a few areas, specifically in Japan, southern Europe, the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, and California.

Kauaʻi Population Traits

Plants from Hawaiʻi, where the species is called mikinalo, are generally smaller than average and do not go through a winter dormancy period.

North American Range

Its natural range covers 12 U.S. states (including Alaska) and 11 Canadian provinces and territories.

Altitudinal Range

Its altitudinal range spans from 5 metres (16 ft) to at least 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

Minnesota Habitat Record

In the U.S. state of Minnesota, it was recorded growing in 1978 in shallow pools in peatlands with minerotrophic water, where the plant community was dominated by low-growing mosses and sedge species.

Minnesota Conservation Status

Because it only occurs in small, limited populations and occupies very specific microhabitats in the state, it is listed as a threatened species in Minnesota.