About Pygmy Drosera

Pygmy Drosera are miniature rosetted Drosera,most types are less than 4cm across.Drosera are a type of carnivorous plant that catch prey by using sticky drops of fluid on their leaves. Pictured below are the trapping mechanisms of 2 different pygmy drosera which are just highly modified leaves.

The insects that are captured by pygmy drosera are minute in size but there is no shortage of them which partly explains why the plants are so successful.

They grow mainly in south-west Western Australia but there is one species ,Drosera Pygmae,that also grows in Eastern Australia and New Zealand. Their habitat generally is hot and dry in summer,cool and wet in winter with some species growing in wetter environments near permanent water.The unusual D.Pygmae can grow in sub alpine conditions that get snow in winter.The soil is sand based with varying amounts of peat.Some species grow in laterite/loam type soils and clay based soils.Most species are out in the full sun with little to shelter them but once again there are exceptions such as D.Pulchella which can grow in shadier conditions.Typical places to find pygmy drosera include the borders of permanent or winter wet swamps,creeks or lakes.Heathlands,forests and even hilltops.

Apart from being carnivorous,the plants have many interesting characteristics to enable them to survive in their environment. One such characteristic is the central white stipule bud which shields the sensitive center of the plant from the intense summer sun.Relative to the size of the whole plant the stipules are enormous in pygmy Drosera.One of the most extreme examples of a stipule bud can be found in Drosera Parvula subsp Sargentii pictured below.

Very long roots allow the plant to deal with relatively dry conditions in summer.Soaking up precious moisture deep within the soil.The roots can be 30cm long or more making them gigantic compared to the size of the plant above the ground.Even so many pygmy drosera have a period of slowed growth or dormancy over summer depending on the conditions.Often they can only manage to gather enough water to survive during this time.Pictured below is the root system of a pygmy drosera.

Another interesting characteristic of the pygmy Drosera are the gemmae (pictured below).

These are produced in the center of the plant only once a year at the beginning of winter and provide a means of asexual reproduction.Several dozen gemmae can be produced by each plant and each of those can produce a mature plant in 6 months or so.So a group of pygmy drosera can increase in number at an astronomical rate given a few good seasons.Each species of pygmy Drosera has unique gemmae.Many plants that start out as gemmae will flower by the next summer.

The flowers are spectacular and in many cases enormous compared to the size of the plant.Many have a metallic lustre which is very attractive.They generally only last for a day so as to maximize chances of producing seed.That way a few days later there can be more flowers producing more seed.Pygmy drosera plants do not put all their eggs (or seeds) in one basket.

Drosera Pulchella pictured above can have flowers rivaling the size of the rest of the plant.

Pygmy Drosera are very beautiful as you can see from the galleries and survive in often relatively harsh environments.Even though they can be quite numerous in the wild they can be quite hard to spot in their native habitat due to their small size,however that changes if they happen to be flowering.There is nothing quite like seeing masses of pygmy drosera in flower.One of the best ways to start growing pygmy Drosera of your own is to join a Carnivorous Plants group or club in your area and ask about them.