Drosera capensis 'Alba'

Drosera capensis 'Alba' is a naturally occurring white-flowering cultivar of the Cape Sundew from South Africa. It is one of the easiest of the carnivorous plants to grow and is an ideal choice for the beginner wishing to start their collection. It has a rosette of long green foliage covered in tentacle-like trichomes that exude a stick mucilage and trap small insects that venture too close.

The five-petaled flowers are white and last only for one day, with a succesion of new flowers opening on each scape throughout the summer.

Cultivation for Drosera capensis 'Alba' is very simple but there are a few important things to remember. The plant needs a moist acidic soil with no added fertiliser. Most commercially available potting mixes have too much fertiliser and lime for Sundews. A homemade mix of peat and perlite is good enough. You can also add spaghnum moss, bark and a little thoroughly washed silver sand. The water that is used should always be rainwater or mineral-free distilled water. Keeping the plants in a tray and watering from the bottom is the best way to grow them. They make ideal houseplants grown like this and can't be over-watered. They can be grown in sun but partial shade is usually the best if you want to avoid them accidentally drying out.