Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Fork-leaved sundew

Family: Droseraceae (Sundew)

Distribution: Australia, New Zealand

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: Like most carnivorous plants, Droseras (typically known as sundews) grow in standing or slow-moving water. The nutrients in these soils are typically leached out and consequently insectivorous plants have evolved another strategy to obtain nutrients: carnivory. Sundews have glands on their leaves which act like external stomachs: it captures prey on the sticky mucilage, curls over the insect to bring it in closer contact with the glands and tentacles, and secretes enzymes to digest its prey. Drosera binata is native to Australia and New Zealand. It is different from other Droseras - commonly known as sundews - in that it has forked leaves. It grows in coastal to subalpine marshy areas and is often quite abundant following a fire. Some populations of this species experience dormant periods depending on the climatic conditions: populations in the southern, more temperate areas tend to experience a dormant period from autumn to spring while the populations in the northern part of its distribution experience this to a much lesser degree.