Sundew is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the sundew family. In the wild, it grows in marshy and sandy areas around the globe.

General information

The culture has thin or thickened herbaceous stem with leaf plates collected in a rosette. On the surface and edges of the leaves there are glandular hairs that secrete a sticky substance similar to dew. It is thanks to this feature that the plant was called sundew.

More than a hundred varieties of this plant predator are known in botany, but only Cape sundew can be grown at home. It is found in the home collections of flower growers due to its unpretentiousness, ease of care and exotic appearance.

Types and varieties of sundew

– the plant reaches a height of 10 to 15 centimeters. It has light green round-shaped leaf plates with reddish tentacles. The peduncle of the crop grows up to 20 centimeters. Flowering time occurs in mid-summer. The inflorescences are small, white or pink.

– this type of culture is the most beautiful and popular. The plant reaches a height of up to 12 centimeters. The sundew has thin, small white hairs with which it catches prey. The crop blooms in mid-summer. The inflorescences are spike-shaped. They bear small white flowers with a slight, pleasant aroma.

– the plant grows up to 15 centimeters, and the height of the peduncle reaches 25 centimeters. The leaf blades of the crop are long, directed upward, and lanceolate. Flowering time occurs in mid-summer. The inflorescence is spike-shaped with small, white flowers. The plant has medicinal properties and is used in herbal medicine.

– The plant grows in the wild in South Africa. The culture has oblong, sessile, multi-tiered leaf plates growing from a rounded rosette. The leaves are yellow-green with red hairs. The inflorescences are small and pink.

Translated into Russian, this variety of sundew sounds like “spoon”. It was given this name due to the spoon-shaped shape of its bright green leaf blades with reddish hairs. The height of the crop reaches from 10 to 15 centimeters. The diameter of an adult sundew is 6 centimeters. In the wild, it grows in Africa, Zealand and Australia.

– is one of the most unpretentious varieties of sundews. The leaf blades are lanceolate in shape and light green in color with numerous red fibers. They are small and slightly curved. The height of the plant is no more than 8 centimeters. The crop blooms in summer with white inflorescences.

– in nature, the plant grows mainly in swampy areas, as it loves moisture and marshy soil. The height of the crop reaches 15 centimeters, and the peduncle grows up to 20 centimeters. The leaf blades are long, lanceolate, yellow-green with red fibers. The sundew blooms in mid-summer. The inflorescence has a spicate shape with small, white flowers.

– the Far East is considered the birthplace of the plant. This variety is characterized by short stature, although some specimens of sundew grow up to 25 centimeters in length. The leaf blades are round in shape, grow from a basal rosette and have an olive tint with red fibers. The crop blooms in summer with small white flowers.

The height of the plant is from 10 to 20 centimeters. The leaf blades are round, bright green with long, reddish hairs. The culture blooms from June to July with white, spike-shaped inflorescences.

- is endemic to South Africa. This is a low-growing sundew species, reaching a diameter of up to 8 centimeters. The height of the plant is 10 centimeters. It has narrow leaves with a widened, rounded edge. Red fibers cover only the upper part of the leaf and in the sun give the crop a ruby ​​hue. The sundew blooms in mid-summer.

– one of the most unpretentious and exotic species. The height of the crop reaches up to 20 centimeters. It has a short stem with a tuft of thin, linear leaf blades with a thin petiole. The color of the leaves is light green with green fibers. When the plant catches an insect, the leaves roll up.

- the largest representative of its subspecies, reaching a height of 50 centimeters. The culture has linear, erect, shimmering light green leaves with white hairs. The culture grows in the USA and Canada. The plant blooms in mid-summer. The flowers are small and white.

Sundew care at home

In order for this exotic and predatory crop to feel good as a potted plant, the grower must create for it a microclimate in which it grows in a wild natural environment.

For sundew, you need to choose a place that will be well lit and constantly ventilated. It is best to place the pot with the crop next to the south window. Sundews should not be placed on a window, otherwise, under the influence of direct sunlight, burns will remain on it, which will lead to the leaf blades falling off.

In the shade, the plant will also feel bad and may die over time. The best option for growing it would be a place that receives direct sunlight only in the evening.

To create additional illumination, you can use a phytolamp, but you do not need to turn it towards the light source; the lamp should be a little further away. If the grower uses artificial lighting, he must adhere to the same safety precautions as with the sun.

Temperature

Since the sundew is endemic to the tropics, temperature regime for its normal growth it should not fall below 18 degrees. This rule also applies to the winter period.

Those crops that grow in northern regions can grow at temperatures from 5 degrees Celsius. When growing a plant in a pot, it needs to create a temperature of 13 to 20 degrees. IN winter time the temperature should be from 7 to 10 degrees. For each plant variety, the temperature will be different, so when purchasing it, you should ask the seller about it.

Air humidity

Air humidity necessary plants should not be less than 60%. Sundew loves it very much high humidity as it grows in the tropics or wetlands. To provide it with the necessary microclimate, you need to place a tray with water or an air humidifier next to it. You can also place the flower in a shallow aquarium, lined with damp moss, which will need to be moistened as it dries.

If the gardener decides to grow sundews in an aquarium, then the plant must protrude beyond its edges. It should not be placed next to glass, as the refracted rays of the sun will cause severe burns on the leaves. And one more point that should be taken into account is that the sundew cannot be sprayed.

Watering sundews

The plant needs the soil to be moist all the time, but it should not be allowed to become waterlogged. Watering should be plentiful. Water should be used warm and settled. It is necessary to add moisture under the plant once a week; the rest of the time, spray the top layer of soil from a spray bottle. It is best to water the plant in a tray.

You cannot spray it, as its decorative effect will be lost. To increase air humidity in the summer, it can be sprayed around the plant with a spray bottle, making sure that the drops do not fall on the foliage. You can also put wet sphagnum moss on the tray. Water can only be left in the tray with the crop in the summer.

It should also be taken into account that root system should not come into contact with water, therefore, when planting, the plant should be provided with good drainage from the perlite included in the soil. Tap water It cannot be used for watering, as it contains a lot of salts. Rain, distilled, filtered or settled water is suitable room temperature. In the winter season, it may be a little warm.

Soil for sundew

This predatory culture requires a special substrate. The grower must take this fact into account when replanting it. As mentioned above, in the wild, sundews grow in swampy areas and subtropics, which means that for normal growth and development it should be provided with suitable soil.

The soil should be acidic, light and depleted. The best option for it there will be peat mixed with sand or quartz chips. To prepare this mixture, you need to take three parts of peat, two parts of sand or part of perlite.

The sand should be quartz, since it does not contain salts, which are dangerous for sundew. However, if the grower cannot find such sand, he can replace it with perlite.

Sundew pot

Since the plant has a weak superficial root system, there is no need to choose a large and deep container for planting it. It is enough to purchase a shallow pot whose diameter is 10 centimeters.

There must be holes at the bottom for drainage. The plant does not need drainage; its role will be performed by perlite, which is part of the soil.

Expanded clay cannot be placed on the bottom of the pot, as it will give an alkaline reaction, and it also contains many salts that are dangerous for the plant.

The pot should be chosen in a light shade so that the soil does not overheat in the sun, especially in the summer.

Sundew transplant

The sundew needs to be replanted in early spring when it comes out of its dormant period. The substrate is prepared from peat, sphagnum and perlite in equal parts. All components of the soil mixture must be mixed so that it turns out light and loose.

When replanting, the soil should not be compacted too much. The acidity of the soil should be about 4 pH. The pot should not be deep and must have drainage holes at the bottom of the container. The plant needs to be pulled out of the pot and the old soil shaken off the roots. Damaged and rotten roots must be removed.

Replanting is carried out annually, since the mixture cakes in the soil and oxygen does not reach the root system, as a result of which the roots begin to die. If you do not adhere to these rules and do not replant the sundew, it will die. At good care The sundew will delight its owner for more than half a century.

After replanting, the crop may lose dew on the villi - this is quite normal. To make it easier for the plant to adapt after replanting, the pot should be covered with film to maintain moisture. After a week, dew on the leaves will appear again.

Fertilizers for sundew

Sundew does not need any soil fertilizing, since its root system cannot receive the substances necessary for growth and development from the soil. For this reason, the grower must ensure that the crop receives the necessary nutrition from catching insects.

She should “eat” about two to three flies a week - this will be enough for her. If there are no insects in the apartment, then the plant should be taken outside for hunting or you should bring prey to it yourself.

Insects should not be large, as they will damage the leaf blades. Giving the culture meat and fish is prohibited; only flies, bugs or mosquitoes are suitable for it, which, in extreme cases, can be bought at a pet store.

Nepenthes is also a carnivorous plant from the Nepentheaceae family. It can be grown with care at home without any particular difficulties if you follow the plant's agricultural practices. You will find all the necessary recommendations for growing and caring for this plant in this article.

Sundew blossoms

Sundew blooms in mid-summer with white, small flowers. When the plant blooms, the gardener needs to think about pollination in order to obtain crop seeds in the future.

Pollination can be carried out either artificially, by transferring pollen from flower to flower, or naturally, by taking the sundew outdoors and allowing the bees to pollinate the inflorescences themselves. This procedure should be carried out for about a week.

If pollination is successful, fruit set will occur. A seed box will appear, which after ripening can be opened, and the seeds inside can be used to propagate sundews.

Pruning sundews

The plant does not need pruning.

Growing sundews from seeds

For propagation, take fresh seeds, place them in a container on moist sphagnum moss and cover with a lid. The container is placed in a warm and bright place. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, the temperature should be 25 degrees.

Freshly collected seeds sprout within a month, and store-bought seeds sprout within six months. When the young plants have four leaf blades of their own, they can be planted in pots.

It should be noted that the first leaf blades of the plant do not have a carnivorous function; they will master this functionality only after four months.

Sundew propagation by dividing the bush

If a daughter rosette emerges from the mother plant, then the sundew can be propagated. The rosette should be carefully separated from the adult culture and planted on permanent place growth.

If it is large, it can be divided into parts so that each of them has its own roots. The place of separation must be treated with crushed coal, after which each part should be planted in its own container. The young growth will take root very quickly.

Sundew propagation by leaf cuttings

To propagate sundews using cuttings, select a suitable leaf plate and place it in a glass of water, adding a drug to accelerate the formation of roots; you can also root it in the ground with a mixture of sphagnum, peat and sand.

A glass of water or a container with soil mixture should be covered with polyethylene. It is necessary to ensure that the cuttings have enough heat, light and moisture. In this case, rooting will be successful.

The most popular propagation method is cuttings and seed.

Diseases and pests

If the plant Sticky drops on the leaf plates began to dry out , this means the sundew lacks moisture. To fix this, you need to increase either watering or air humidity. To increase air humidity, you can spray it from time to time from a dispenser or place wet expanded clay next to the pot. You can also place the plant in a damp terrarium and leave it for a while to drink moisture. After such procedures, the problem should disappear.

Yellowing and drying of leaf blades occurs due to root rot that develops when the plant is flooded with water. Watering sundews should be done exclusively with soft water without salts. To revive the sundew, you should remove it from the pot, shake off the roots from the ground and remove their rotten parts. Then transplant into a new substrate and pot.

When dew disappears on the leaf blades and the plant wilts , the grower must change the soil, which most likely is not suitable for the plant. The sundew should be transplanted into a more suitable substrate for it and its condition will return to normal.

Of the pests that are dangerous to crops, only spider mite and aphids , everyone else becomes her prey. If a gardener finds these insects on a sundew, then the plant should be treated with the Actellik insecticide, carefully wiping the lower parts of the leaf blades.

The procedure should be repeated after a few days to completely destroy the pests. If an aphid has infected a peduncle, it is better to cut it off, since the sundew needs a lot of energy and vitality to form inflorescences, which it can spend on recovery.

Conclusion

Sundew is quite exotic indoor plant. Caring for it is not difficult, but the gardener needs to monitor not only the maintenance of the microclimate, but also the diet of his green pet.

Not only is it very interesting appearance, but also a way of life. Just watching him hunt and eat is worth it. By adding such a crop to your collection, you can be sure that it will become not only a source of pride, but also the pearl of your green collection.

Round-leaved sundew or crabgrass looks unusual and has healing properties. Due to climate change and drainage of swamps, it is becoming difficult to find it in nature. Read the article about how to grow a plant on your windowsill, care for it, and use it for treatment.

Description of the plant

This small plant is spread out on the ground. Only the long peduncle rises above the leaves, dangerous for insects, to obtain the desired pollination. Small white flowers, collected in long curls, bloom from June to August.

Oval light green leaves about 2 cm in diameter, with red hairs, look very decorative. They sparkle in the sun, covered like diamonds with droplets of transparent liquid.

Which group does the plant belong to?

Sundew or sundew is a carnivorous representative of the flora that grows on all types of soil. The plant feeds on insects.

This perennial grass belongs to the Sundew family. This dicotyledonous plants, included in the order Dianthus. In addition to the Sundew, this family includes two more species - Aldrovanda and Venus flytrap.

Where does it grow

Sundews most often grow in wetlands, and round-leaved sundew can also be found there. It prefers the sphagnum bogs of the Northern Hemisphere, but can also grow on wet sand or peat soils throughout the European part, except in the southern regions.

Where sundew grows there may be no ground water supply; the plant only needs moisture from precipitation and snacks from insects.

It develops very slowly and is small in size. Life expectancy is up to 40 years.

How to catch insects

The leaves produce a sticky substance that contains the alkaloid coniine. It has a paralyzing effect on insects, and contains digestive enzymes. When the next victim sticks to the sticky sap, the leaf blade closes.

Interesting facts about solar dew

Crabgrass is used in folk medicine. Its fresh leaves help quickly remove warts from the skin.

Syn.: bogwort, eye-socket, round-leaved drossera, flycatcher, dewdrop, sun grass.

Perennial insectivore herbaceous plant, unusual leaves which produces a special sticky substance. An insect, landing on it, sticks, after which the leaf bends, and the sundew eats its victim. However, this is not the only amazing property of the plant. Sundew has healing properties, which is why it is widely used in folk medicine.

Ask the experts a question

In medicine

Official medicine Sundew rotundifolia is not used.

Contraindications and side effects

Sundew rotundifolia and preparations made from it should not be used by pregnant and lactating women, as well as by persons suffering from individual intolerance to the plant.

In homeopathy

In homeopathy, the drug Drosera is prepared from sundew rotundifolia. It is prescribed to patients suffering from spasmodic cough, as well as to persons experiencing dizziness when walking. Drosera helps best with whooping cough, coughing attacks with nausea and difficult to separate sputum, and tuberculosis.

Classification

Round-leaved sundew (lat. Drosera rotundifolia) belongs to the genus Sundew (lat. Drosera) of the sundew family (lat. Droseraceae). The genus includes 185 species, 4 of which are found in Russia and neighboring countries. Among them, in addition to the round-leaved sundew (lat. Drosera rotundifolia), English or long-leaved sundew (lat. Drosera anglica), intermediate sundew (lat. Drosera intermedia) and obovate sundew (lat. Drosera obovata). The latter is a hybrid of round-leaved sundew (lat. Drosera rotundifolia) and English sundew (lat. Drosera anglica).

Botanical description

Sundew rotundifolia is a perennial herbaceous insectivorous plant. It has one leafless stem, the height of which can reach 10-25 cm. In some cases, there may be 2-3 such stems.

The leaves of sundew rotundifolia are located at the surface of the soil. They have long petioles and form a rosette. The leaves of the plant are rounded, their diameter can reach 2 cm. Along the edges and on top, the leaf plates are seated with glandular reddish hairs on long stems 4-5 mm long. The hairs secrete a sticky liquid that accumulates on the surface in the form of shiny transparent drops. Hair is incredibly sensitive to irritation. As soon as the insect touches the sundew leaf, the hairs begin to bend, capturing its victim.

The hunting leaves of this plant are unusual - a leaf blade in the shape of a head, the upper part of which is covered with numerous hairs - glands, and at the tip of each of them there is a drop of sticky liquid sparkling in the sun, attracting the attention of a potential victim. These drops give the plant shine, especially during the morning dew or evening sun, which served as the basis for the Russian name of the plant: “Rosyanka”. The English poetic name for sundew means “sun-dew,” that is, “solar dew.”

Dew, droplets secreted by hairs, contains a solution of sugars to attract insects. The inviting drop of “dew” turns out to be sticky mucus, which deprives the insect of the opportunity to escape. The sundew leaf is unusually sensitive - just the lightest touch is enough, and all its hairs begin to move, bending towards the center in an effort to “generously” cover the victim with an adhesive substance and move it to the very middle of the leaf - where the digestive villi are located. Gradually, the sundew leaf closes over the insect, turning into a kind of tiny stomach. After the soft tissues of the insect are digested, only its external skeleton remains, and the leaves with sensitive hairs take on a normal vertical position.

The flowers of the round-leaved sundew are white and small, collected in long curls. The plant blooms in June - August, the fruits ripen towards the end of summer - beginning of autumn. The fruit is an elongated oval capsule. The seeds are small, spindle-shaped and light brown in color.

Spreading

Sundew rotundifolia is frost-hardy rosette plant, widespread in the territory North America, in cold areas of Europe, Russia, Ukraine and some areas Far East. Most often, sundew can be found in sphagnum and peat bogs and wet sands. The insectivorous lifestyle allows the plant to settle even in areas that do not have ground water supply. The round-leaved sundew is able to obtain moisture only from precipitation.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

In folk medicine, the herb sundew rotundifolia is used. It is harvested during the flowering period of the plant. To obtain grass, you can pull the sundew out of the soil by the roots or carefully cut the plant right at the soil itself. If the sundew is removed along with the root, the root should be cut off and the grass should be thoroughly washed to remove traces of dirt and moss.

Sundew should be dried in a dryer at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees or under a canopy in a well-ventilated area. So that she can keep all her beneficial features, it is advisable to dry it as quickly as possible. Dried herbs can be stored for no more than two years.

Chemical composition

In the flowers and leaves of sundew round-leaved, naphthoquinone derivatives were found - plumbagin and drozerone (about 1%), fluoroquinolones, coloring and tannins, proteolytic enzyme, choline and acetylcholine, various acids (ascorbic, malic, citric, formic, lactic, benzoic and ellagic) , tannin (about 1.5%), vitamin K and mineral salts.

Hair mucus contains lipase, amylase, peroxidase and polysaccharides. They give mucus the properties of animal digestive juice. In the process of eating an insect, the round-leaved sundew absorbs magnesium, potassium, sodium salts, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Pharmacological properties

Sundew rotundifolia is not used by official medicine, but homeopaths claim that the plant and preparations from it have antispasmodic, diaphoretic and expectorant effects. The herb of the plant is a natural antiseptic that helps fight skin and other diseases. Plumbagin, which is part of the round-leaved sundew, effectively fights bacteria, in particular the pathogens of whooping cough and tuberculosis. The plant can also be used to combat fungal infections. Sundew rotundifolia juice can be used to combat freckles, calluses and warts.

Use in folk medicine

Medicinal properties sundew rotundifolia due to its chemical composition. Traditional medicine has long and successfully used this plant to treat a variety of diseases. The most effective are decoctions and infusions of round-leaved sundew. They are prescribed for a painful dry cough with sputum that is difficult to separate. Respiratory viral infections, inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, whooping cough, tuberculosis - this is just a small list of diseases for which you can take teas and infusions based on sundew herb. They are also effective for headaches, asthmatic cough, fever, atherosclerosis and candidiasis.

Alcohol tincture Sundew rotundifolia can be used to treat endarteritis, dizziness, emphysema, tuberculosis and whooping cough. It has antibacterial properties and has a detrimental effect on microbial and fungal flora.

For skin damage and diseases (allergies, rashes, dermatitis), sundew rotundifolia, as well as infusions and decoctions from it, are best used topically.

Sundew sap ethnoscience has long been used to treat warts. The organic and enzymatic substances contained in it have antiviral activity. They destroy growths and promote rapid tissue regeneration. The same remedy can remove dry calluses and freckles.

Also, round-leaved sundew can treat unadvanced forms of gastritis, enteritis, colitis and liver diseases. It is effective against the following symptoms: bitter belching, bloating, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, heaviness in the lower abdomen.

However, sundew rotundifolia in large doses can cause harm and worsen the course of the disease. That is why it is important to consult a doctor before using it and in no case exceed the recommended dosage.

Historical reference

The sundew got its name from the droplets of viscous liquid that are secreted by the hairs located on the leaves of the plant. It is precisely because of the external similarity of this liquid to dew that sundew was previously popularly called solar dew, God's dew and crabgrass. The English name of the plant – “sundew” – is also translated as “solar dew”. Yes and Latin name“drosera” comes from the word “droseros”, which means “dewy”, “dew”.

The first studies of round-leaved sundew were carried out by the Spanish doctor Arnaldo de Villanove. In the 17th century, the English botanist and physician William Hudson continued his observations of this plant. It was he who discovered that sundew rotundifolia effectively treats dry cough and can be used for whooping cough and tuberculosis.

There is also evidence that Charles Darwin studied sundew.

Literature

1. Atlas of areas and resources of medicinal plants of the USSR. - M., 1983

2. Gubanov I. A., Novikov V. S., Kiseleva K. V., Tikhomirov V. N. Illustrated plant identification guide Central Russia. - M.: T-vo scientific publications KMK, Institute of Technological Research, 2003

3. Akopov I.E. The most important domestic medicinal plants and their application. - Tashkent, 1990

4. Blinova K.F. et al. Botanical-pharmacognostic dictionary: Reference Guide- M.: Higher. school, 1990

The carnivorous sundew plant is one of the “fly trap” flowers that feeds on insects. The sundew catches both mosquitoes and flies, and especially large specimens growing in subtropical zones are capable of luring and digesting not only snails, but also frogs. What the sundew plant eats and how to grow it indoors is described in detail in this material.

Sundew, Drosera (Drosera) belongs to the Sundew family. Her homeland is Australia, Africa, Europe.

This genus has about 100 species. IN indoor floriculture cultivated extremely rarely. However, the specificity of care and unusual way production nutrients make growing sundews not only difficult, but also interesting.

The most popular types of plants are:

Sundew (D. binata).

R. cape (D. sarensis).

R. palmate (D. spathulata).

Australian sundew It has bisyllabic, long, deeply dissected leaves.

Cape sundew, growing in America, is distinguished by continuous leaves.

Where does the marsh insectivorous plant sundew (drosera) grow?

Sundew is a herbaceous insectivorous plant found in many areas with temperate climate all over the globe.

There are about a hundred species of sundews around the globe, and sundews that grow in the tropics are much larger than their northern neighbors. In particular, in Australia there is a giant sundew, the stem of which reaches 60–100 cm. And in South Africa there is a royal sundew, which digests snails and toads.

In the flora of some countries, for example Belarus, in addition to the usual round-leaved one, three more species of these plants are found. IN northern latitudes you can find a marsh plant, English sundew - with elongated leaves. Less common is the intermediate sundew, the name of which indicates that the shape of its leaves occupies an intermediate position between round, like the round-leaved sundew, and elongated, oblong, like the English sundew. And even less common in our country is the obovate sundew.

All these and other types of sundews reach the Arctic zone and can grow directly on rocks in the absence of peat moss. Several species of sundew live in Australia, Brazil, and the Cape of Good Hope. The giant sundew, growing in Australia, has a stem height of 60 cm and is covered with narrow leaves. The plant looks like a shrub. And if our sundews are content only small insects, then the extraction of Australian sundew may be more significant. Its victims include snails, frogs and mice. In North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, sundews that grow there are hung on walls to control flies. Perhaps the invention of sticky paper was prompted by these plants.

Sundew grows where there are sphagnum bogs or damp sand, near lakes, in damp meadows.

The origin of the name “sundew” and the plant’s adaptation to the environment (with video)

The origin of the name “sundew” is explained by the fact that droplets of sticky mucus glisten on it, similar to dew or drops of honey. The sundew itself is colored red-green. The leaves of this small plant are covered with 25 cilia on the upper side of the leaf blade and along the edges where the longest ones are located.

The sundew's adaptation to its environment is unique. The upper end of the cilia is thickened. It is there that the gland is located, which secretes sticky mucus. The insects fly to the predator - the sundew, attracted by the shine of this droplet. But as soon as they touch the leaf, they stick. Soon, after 10 or 20 minutes, the eyelash to which the victim is stuck will bend towards the center of the leaf. All neighboring eyelashes will also bend.

Then the edge of the leaf blade will bend and the trap will slam shut. If there is a substance that does not contain protein on the cilia, for example, a drop of rain, they will not move. Enzymes secreted by the cilia break down protein (dewdew enzymes are similar to pepsin, the gastric juice of animals). After the plant has had lunch, the cilia straighten, become covered with “dew” again and attract new flies. Sometimes the digestive process can take several days. The South African royal sundew, a plant half a meter tall, can even digest snails and frogs.

Interestingly, the glue that insectivorous plants produce not only “grabs” unwary insects, but also acts like anesthesia. A dead insect from the edge of the leaf falls into its middle, the leaf shrinks, turning into something similar to a stomach. And when it opens a few days later, you can see the remains of the victim - only a chitinous cover.

The surface of the leaf becomes dry for a while, but when the plant “works up an appetite,” it again becomes covered with sticky dew and awaits a new victim.

Watch the video of how the sundew plant lures insects:

What does the sundew plant eat and how does it catch insects?

The mechanism of action of sundew leaves has interested many naturalists. Sundew was especially popular among medieval alchemists, who were trying to find the elixir of life and turned their attention to sundew. Alchemists assumed that the plant had magical powers and attributed the ability to cure consumption to the sundew. A drink was made from its “dew”, which supposedly healed all ailments.

A scientific explanation of the sundew's feeding method was first given by the founder of the theory of evolution, the great Charles Darwin. It turned out that the plant secretes a juice whose composition is similar to the gastric juice of animals. Moreover, this juice does not just stand out. Until animal food gets on the leaf, the sundew secretes only sticky mucus. But then an insect sticks, and the composition of the liquid begins to change. Formic acid and the enzyme pepsin are released - a special biological substance of protein nature, which promotes and accelerates the digestion of food in the animal’s stomach. The leaf hairs envelop the prey and the digestion process begins. Each leaf can afford such meals 3–4 times, and then it turns black and dies.

Scientists conducted many experiments with sundew - it turned out to be such an interesting object for science. They tried to deceive the plant and substituted various decoys, for example, dry blades of grass or spruce needles, instead of live food. And it turned out that the sundew is a very sensitive organism.

When dry grass came into contact with a leaf, no reaction of the cilia was observed. They did not react to foreign objects. Mosquitoes, midges or small bugs are another matter. In this case, the leaf's cilia began to immediately respond to the touch.

They tried to act on sundew leaves with narcotic substances, such as chloroform or ether. Drugs are drugs, they have the same effect on all living things. The sundew's sensitive reaction disappeared, but in the fresh air sensitivity was gradually restored. It is interesting that here too the sundew is picky. For example, the strongest poison plant origin curare has no effect on it, and the venom of such a poisonous snake as a cobra only slightly irritates the leaves. Salts of potassium and other metals, as well as acetic, oxalic and benzoic acids turned out to be toxic to the plant, and it did not react to hydrochloric, formic, tartaric and malic acids.

A completely legitimate question may arise whether she will die if she does not eat protein animal food, if flies and insects do not visit her. Of course not. Like all green plants, it gets its proteins from carbon dioxide and soil minerals.

But without animal proteins, sundew plants become small, produce few seeds, and grow more slowly. By adding animal proteins to its diet, the sundew improves its diet, since its habitat - swampy soils - is characterized by a poverty of nitrogen compounds and mineral salts.

If you come across a sundew in a raised bog, do not be lazy to do an interesting experiment. It turns out that with the help of this plant you can determine the growth of the sphagnum carpet. Sundew grows with sphagnum moss. Every year the moss grows, and this forces the sundew to form a new rosette of leaves every year. The old one sinks inside and is stored in the mass of moss on the root cord. If you carefully pull a sundew out of the moss, on its long root cord you can see the remains of past rosettes at different distances from each other. There can be a different number of them, sometimes up to ten. Measure the distance between the rosettes and you will find out the amount of growth of the sphagnum cover.

What does sundew look like: photo and description

Sundew is a perennial herbaceous insectivorous plant, usually stemless, with a creeping rhizome. The leaves are basal, rosette, covered with glandular reddish trapping hairs, sticky at the ends. In the absence of insects, it feeds common plant. The description of sundew flowers is unremarkable - they are small, collected in racemes or paniculate inflorescences.

The most common and practical sundew is the round-leaved sundew - perennial up to 25 centimeters tall with outstretched leaves with a rounded leaf blade up to 1 centimeter in diameter.

As you can see in the photo, the sundew plant has a single flower arrow (less often there are 2-3 of them), at the end there are 10-20 small white flowers:

It blooms in June-July.

Sundews have a rather exotic, but common appearance for insectivorous plants. A poorly developed root system does not allow the plant to obtain the necessary nutrients from the soil, therefore, in the process of evolution, a mechanism for catching insects and digesting them has been developed. When describing the sundew plant, it is especially worth noting its leaves - they are thin, tentacle-like, covered with red hairs, collected in a rosette. It is in these hairs that glands are located that secrete an enzyme that attracts insects and at the same time helps to digest them. An insect that lands on sundew leaves sticks to them and cannot get out. It is at this moment that the digestion process begins on the leaves with the help of special enzymes.

Pay attention to the photo - the sundew flower has many (130...280) tentacles extending from the upper surface and edge of the plate:

Their length is not the same - it increases from the middle of the plate to its edge. The tentacle consists of a purple stalk and a club-shaped or oval head. Stipe - outgrowth of a leaf blade; the head, or gland, is a glandular hair. The leg is able to move - bend and straighten.

The glands, which are at rest, secrete a drop of thick sticky viscous mucus, shining in the sun like dewdrops. Small flying and crawling insects, attracted by the shine of these droplets, which they mistake for nectar, sit or crawl onto the leaf blade and stick to it.

Trying to free themselves, they rush around, fight, touching the sticky drops of neighboring glands, and become increasingly enveloped in mucus. A few minutes later, after the gland of at least one tentacle is irritated, all the others become excited. 10 minutes after the first tentacle has received irritation, those closest to it begin to bend towards the center, and within 1...3 hours all other tentacles also bend, tightly pressing the prey to the plate. Then the plate bends (becomes concave).

Here you can see a photo of the sundew, the description of which is presented above:

All movements of the tentacles and leaf blades are aimed at mixing the prey with abundant secretions of glands - acid and an enzyme similar to pepsin. This liquid flows into the recess of the plate.

The alkaloid coniine, which has a paralyzing effect on insects, was found in the secretions of the glands. Covered with mucus, which clogs the trachea and causes suffocation, paralyzed insects die within 15 minutes. After a few days, the dissolution and absorption processes end. The tentacles gradually straighten and return to their original position.

Below is how to care for sundew at home.

How to grow indoor sundew and how to care for it at home

Sundew prefers shade, but a little light will not harm it. When growing sundews, it is best to place it away from the window, avoiding direct sunlight.

In winter, cool maintenance is required at a temperature of 5-10 ° C, the soil must remain moist. IN warm room The sundew cannot be left. Since the plant needs constant moisture, best place for its maintenance there is a terrarium.

To properly care for sundews at home, the substrate should be light, acidic and consist of crushed bark, brown peat and sand.

The plant needs frequent but moderate watering. In this case, it is advisable to use warm rainwater. In the room where the sundew is located, it is necessary to maintain high air humidity by carrying out daily abundant spraying. Watering indoor sundews should be done carefully, only through a tray, with soft water.

Once a month, the sundew needs to be fed with flower fertilizers in small doses. Fertilizer can be replaced by feeding the plant with insects and small pieces of raw meat.

If you know how to grow sundews at home, you can try propagating the plant using leaf cuttings.

In nature, sundews reproduce by seeds, but at home, propagation in this way is impossible.

As a true predator, this plant has practically no enemies and does not get sick. At improper care dies. Rarely cultivated indoors.

Sundew is medicinal plant. It is collected during flowering, from June to August, and dried in a warm, ventilated area.

The color of dried sundew is reddish, the taste is sourish-bitter. Sundew is used for colds, as a diaphoretic, and for coughs.

An important characteristic of sundew is the ability of the juice secreted by leaf glands to dissolve organic substances, so I use the plant to remove warts, and in the Vologda region they wash milk dishes with its leaves.

Sundew rotundifolia has long been used in folk herbal medicine as an antitussive and expectorant for respiratory diseases, in the early stages of pulmonary tuberculosis, and for bronchial asthma. Sundew is used as a sedative and anticonvulsant for epilepsy, as well as for weakened vision.

Scientists have isolated two substances from sundew leaves: coniine, which has a paralytic effect, and formic acid, which destroys putrefactive bacteria. Thanks to these substances, sundew leaves quickly digest various small animals.

In the 80s XX century In France, competitions of insectivorous plants were held. First place went to E. Marcier. His sundew caught 51 mosquitoes in 3 hours.

Carnivorous plants are an interesting extraordinary phenomenon, when representatives of flora and fauna suddenly change places, and delicate flower becomes a hunter who knows how to patiently wait for prey and quickly destroy it. Almost 300 species of predator plants have been recorded.

They belong to a variety of families and are distributed in many climatic zones - from Arctic deserts to the tropics. These also live in Russian spaces. Similar insectivorous representatives of the plant kingdom include roundleaf sundew- one of a genus of carnivorous plants of the sundew family, living in swamps, sandy and mountainous areas. The article is dedicated to her.

Species features

This pretty grass is found on any type of soil, but more often it can be seen in raised bogs, where there is no soil in the normal sense of the word, but only peat and All plants belonging to the genus of sundews, including round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia l), - insectivores. The plant gets its name from the droplets of clear liquid that appear on the fine hairs covering the leaves.

Today, almost one and a half hundred species of sundews are known, and all of them are predators. This feature of plants of this genus did not appear at the whim of nature, but because of the need to literally get food, since they grow on poor swampy or sandy soils, in which there are practically no nutrients.

Leaves as a catching mechanism

What characteristics of the species of Sundew rotundifolia do the reference books give? The plant's adaptability to catching insects is impressive. Longer reddish hairs located along the edges of the leaves produce a sticky substance containing the alkaloid coniine, which paralyzes insects that are careless to sit on the insidious leaf. A fly that lands on a leaf sticks tightly to it, and the plant does not sleep - the edges of the leaf slowly curl, completely enveloping the prey.

The inner part of the leaf is lined with shorter hairs containing substances identical to digestive enzymes. They begin to act when the leaf is curled. The immobilized insect soon dies, and the leaf gradually assimilates it. In a similar way, round-leaved sundew compensates for the catastrophic lack of minerals necessary for development, but absent in the places where they occur. The unique grass demonstrates miracles of survival in swamps and, having adapted to difficult conditions, develops excellently.

Round-leaved sundew: description

This herbaceous perennial is a plant with amazing adaptive ability, adapted to winter in a special way - before wintering, it forms buds that go deep into the thickness of the moss, so it is impossible to see the plant already in October.

And in the spring, when the snow melts, one-year-old shoots appear from them - thin and not very long. A pressed rosette of leaves forms on top of the sphagnum, which can contain up to a dozen leaves located on long (up to 5-8 cm) petioles. The rounded sundew gave its name to the species of round-leaved sundew. The leaf is small, reaching 1 cm in diameter, covered with a huge number of hairs and has a green or reddish tint. Its color depends on the degree of illumination - the more light, the greener the leaf.

Flowering and reproduction

Despite the fact that the round-leaved sundew appears immediately after the snow melts, flowering occurs unusually late - only in mid-summer. For a carnivorous but insect-pollinated plant, nature has thought out the most safe way- sundew flower stalks stretch 25-30 cm, and arriving bees do not fall on the leaves, which usually lie on the surface of the soil. Small white or slightly pinkish flowers, single or collected in a small inflorescence or tassel, bloom at the top of the peduncle.

The flower has five petals and has nectaries to attract insect pollinators. Pollinated flowers form seed pods, which are fully ripened by early September. The capsule opens, the seeds scatter over the surface of the swamp, burrow into the sphagnum and germinate next spring, repeating the traditional life cycle.

Carnivorous plant sundew rotundifolia: application

Sundews are famous not only for their unusual way of life and habitat. The first documentary evidence of them healing properties- works of English scientists of the 17th century. Then it was noticed valuable property plants - suppress and cure cough.

The chemical composition of the plant is remarkable: it contains whole line organic, phenopolycarboxylic acids, calcium and potassium salts, tannins and dyes, flavonoids and tonins. But the main feature is the presence of naphthoquinone derivatives - droserone and plumbagin, which can suppress the development of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, in particular the causative agents of whooping cough.

The use of this plant in traditional medicine is associated with the substances included in its composition. Sundew has expectorant, diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties and is used to relax smooth muscles.

Medicines based on this herb are most often prescribed for bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough, and tracheitis.

Use in folk medicine

Traditional medicine uses the properties of sundew much more widely, using it not only for pulmonary diseases. Using tinctures and decoctions, they treat atherosclerosis (including coronary vessels of the heart), epileptic seizures, candidiasis, colds, fevers and headaches.

The most effective is the use of sundew preparations as a component in herbal preparations. For example, its effect increases if the plant is used in combination with violet and plantain.

Homeopathy does not stand aside either. Successfully using the qualities of plants such as sundew, euphorbia, juniper, this area of ​​medicine, in addition to treating respiratory diseases, practices external use for skin diseases of various origins. For example, warts are treated by applying fresh leaves to them with the inside.

Features of preparation and application

All are recognized as medicinal aboveground part plants. It is recommended to harvest it during flowering. Dry in ventilated areas. You can also use special dryers, setting the drying temperature to no higher than 40˚C. Store the herb in cotton bags for no more than two years.

It is important to remember that the use of sundew preparations involves:

Accurate adherence to the dosage, since exceeding it will cause negative consequences - vomiting, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, diarrhea;

Careful and exclusively external use of freshly picked leaves.

Intensive use in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as widespread drainage of swamps, has led to the fact that today such a unique plant as round-leaved sundew is on the verge of extinction. The Red Book protects the plant, controlling the seasonal harvest, but everyone should think about this and not pick it unnecessarily.

How to grow sundew at home

The picky sundew can be successfully grown at home by sowing seeds that can be collected in the fall, or by replanting the plant with a small plot of soil in which it grew in nature.

The best substrate suitable for sundews is a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts, imitating the natural composition. It is advisable to water the plant from below by placing the container with sundew in a pan of water. You cannot spray the plant; the decorative effect it has will be lost. The sundew does not need additional feeding; additional nutrition can harm it. Proper care care for the plant consists only of good moisture and the correct composition of the soil. If these conditions are met, the round-leaved sundew will bloom on the windowsill in summer period, delighting the gardener with delicate flowers.