Range: southwest Australia, northeast of Perth

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Named after the Greek word for “marsh,” this pygmy sundew fittingly is frequently found in sandy soils in winter-wet depressions and swamp edges. It grows to 1.5 cm in diameter, with a flat rosette of paddle-shaped leaves. Petioles are near-parallel but with a slightly wider midpoint, and are nearly glabrous. Lamina are generally circular in shape with a slightly dimpled center, bearing notably longer tentacles along the outer edges. Coloration is variable, green in the petioles but may be anywhere from slightly yellowish in lamina with red tentacles to fully deep crimson lamina for a strongly bicolor appearance. Inflorescences are up to 12 cm in height, upper portions bearing moderate densities of small glands, and may hold up to 14 flowers. Each flower is up to 1.5 cm in diameter ,bearing obovate or oblong petals that are pure white to mauve-pink with distinctive pinkish or red spots near the base of each petal. This species is extremely closely related to and almost indistinguishable from D. closterostigma and spilos, all sharing the roughly orbicular-elliptic lamina and spotted flowers, but this species can be distinguished from its relatives by its smooth rather than bristly stipule bud in summer dormancy, relatively smaller (usually) petal spots, and whitish stigmas.

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Cultivation: grow in a deep pot in a 2:1 sand/peat mix, kept very moist and humid with temps of 40-65°F in winter and a short photoperiod to induce blooming and gemmae production. In summer, allow photoperiod and temperatures to increase but avoid drying out as dormancy can be difficult to reverse. Sow gemmae and seeds (if produced) on soil surface. Seeds may require treatment such as hot stratification or GA3 soaking.

Lifespan and reproduction: short-lived perennial. Reproduces through gemmae and, rarely, seed. May possibly be grown through leaf pullings.

Sources: Lowrie et al. (2017). Drosera of the World Vol. 2. Redfern Natural History Publications.