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Drosera peltata

Common name:	Sundew	Family:	Droseraceae
Author:	Sm.	Botanical references:	58, 200, 266
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant is slightly toxic according to one report[147].
Range:	E. Asia - China to the Himalayas.
Habitat:	Grassy slopes, 1500 - 3600 metres in the Himalayas[51]. Wet places in Japan[58]. Sunny hillsides in China[147].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	peltata = shield like, peltate
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Nepenthales. Sundew family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China India India(Ayurvedic)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen annual/Perennial growing to 0.25m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden, Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Alterative Anodyne Blood tonic Carminative Rubefacient VD.

The plant is anodyne, blood tonic and carminative[147]. It is used in India in making gold bhasma, which is antisyphilitic, alterative and tonic[240].
The crushed leaves, with or without salt, have been used as a blistering agent[240]. This can be of value as a poultice since it brings more blood to the area and helps speed the clearance of toxins in arthritis and rheumatism[254].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a sandy peaty soil, succeeding in poor soils and in bogs[200].
An insectivorous plant, it can survive in nitrogen poor soils because it gets the nutrients it needs from insects[1, 200]. The upper surfaces of leaves are covered with hairs that secrete a sweet sticky substance[7].This attracts insects, which become smeared with it and unable to escape - the plant then exudes a digestive fluid that enables it to absorb most of the insect into its system[7].
A highly variable species in the wild[266].
This sundew is not very hardy in Britain and is best treated as a greenhouse plant[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a free-draining soil with some charcoal added and with a layer of finely chopped sphagnum moss on top[175]. Surface sow and keep the compost moist. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20° c[175]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Droseraceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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