Wild Weeds – Weed of the Month
Pink Sundew
Drosera capillaris
Pink Sundew is an insectivorous wildflower, catching insects for its nutrient source. You’ll find this interesting plant in wet areas, primarily pinelands, savannas, and bogs but also along pond edges or other high moisture areas. The plant blooms in the spring and has semi-showy flowers that open during the day and close by late afternoon. Although small insects are attracted to it, it is believed to be self-pollinated.
Florida Wildflower Foundation states “Pink sundew’s delicate flowers are pale-pink with five petals and a superior greenish-yellow ovary. They develop in numbers of two to 20 atop a glabrous leafless scape. Leaves are lime-green to crimson red and spatulate with relatively long petioles. They are prostrate and born in basal rosettes. Petioles are glabrous, but leaf blades are covered in tentacle-like glands that secrete a sticky, acidic substance in which insects become trapped. The leaves then fold in on themselves, ensnaring the insects until digestion is complete. The fruit is an inconspicuous capsule bearing several ellipsoid to oblong seeds.”
Learn more about the plant characteristics here: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-drosera-capillaris/
Check out other Wild Weeds Here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/bakerco/tag/wild-weeds/
Source: UF/IFAS Pest Alert
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