Great Sundew
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Great Sundew

Drosera anglica

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera_anglica

Overview

Drosera anglica, commonly known as the English sundew or great sundew, is a carnivorous flowering plant species belonging to the sundew family Droseraceae. It is a temperate species with a circumboreal range, although it does occur as far south as Japan, southern Europe, and the island of Kauai in Hawaii, where it grows as a tropical sundew. It is thought to originate from an amphidiploid hybrid of D.

rotundifolia and D. linearis, meaning that a sterile hybrid between these two species doubled its chromosomes to produce fertile progeny which stabilized into the current D. anglica.

Great Sundew populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss from wetland drainage, peat bog destruction, and agricultural conversion of its specialized bog habitats. Climate change and altered hydrology further threaten the specific water chemistry and moisture conditions this carnivorous plant requires to survive.

Threat summary

Habitat

D. anglica growing on a quaking bog in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon Drosera anglica grows in open, non-forested habitat with wet, often calcium-rich soils. These include bogs, marl fens, quaking bogs, cobble shores, and other calcareous habitats. This tolerance of calcium is relatively rare in the rest of the genus. D. anglica is often associated with various sphagnum mosses, and many times...

Frequently asked questions

Why is Great Sundew classified as Endangered?
Great Sundew is classified as Endangered — facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild — because population numbers are declining steeply and key habitats are under sustained pressure. Great Sundew populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss from wetland drainage, peat bog destruction, and agricultural conversion of its specialized bog habitats. Climate change and altered hydrology further threaten the specific water chemistry and moisture conditions this carnivorous plant requires to survive.
Where does Great Sundew live?
Great Sundew occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Great Sundew?
The main threats to Great Sundew are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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