Drosera tracyi (Diels) Macfarl.

Tracy's Sundew; Giant Threadleaf Sundew

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Giant Threadleaf Sundew is a native herbaceous perennial in the Sundew family (Droseraceae). It is native to southwest Alabama. Giant Threadleaf Sundew grows in pitcher plant bogs, seeps, wet pine savannas, and wet roadside ditches. It is a perennial from a bulbous base surrounded by the expanded bases of petioles. Leaves are petiolate, filiform in outline, and densely covered in yellowish-green stalked glands. The leaves are up to 1 foot in length, making this our largest native species of Sundew. Flowers are produced in a raceme. Each flower has 5 rose-purple petals. The fruit is a capsule. Giant Threadleaf Sundew is readily available in the nursery trade from sites specializing in carnivorous or bog plants. Several cultivars and hybrids are also available. Giant Threadleaf Sundew requires a moist sandy or peaty soil and full sun. Plants should not be allowed to dry out during the growing season. After frost, plants develop a winter hibernaculae consisting of the terminal bud surrounded by the old leaf bases. These hibernaculae require a period of cool temperatures, and can be over wintered outside unless temperatures are extremely low. Giant Threadleaf Sundew, like all Sundews, is a carnivorous plant that attracts, catches, and digests small arthropods, mostly small flies and gnats. Some prefer to use the term “insectivorous” to more accurately describe these plants. The glandular hairs on the leaf are able to respond to stimuli, and press trapped prey to the leaf surface where sessile glands secrete digestive enzymes that dissolve soft tissues. These nutrients, especially nitrogen, are absorbed and supplement nutrients available in the poor, acidic soils where these plants grow. While the addition of these nutrients aid plants in the wild, cultivated plants are able to thrive without the addition of prey. There is no need to “feed” your plant, and too many prey items can actually harm the plant. Giant Threadleaf Sundew is an interesting plant and can be grown in

Drosera tracyi occurrs along the Gulf Coastal Plain while D. filiformis is along the Atlantic Coastal Plain and not known from Alabama. Often times in the past, plants from Alabama have been misidentified as D. filiformis which are identifiable with D. tracyi. Specimens listed below as D. filiformis should be annotated and treated as D. tracyi.

Native OBL (NWPL)

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