Range: Eastern Andes of south-central and northern Peru, southern Ecuador

 

This rare Latin American sundew was once recorded only from the type location in the eastern Andes of south-central Peru, in the Cordillera Yanachaga, but more recently also found further north in the Sira Mountains, Cerro Picorana, and Cordillera del Condor in which it grows almost neighboring its close relative D. condor. It prefers growing in quartz sand or sandstone cracks in seepage zones among dwarfed vegetation or highland grassland, at high elevations of 2000-2800 meters. Plants may develop stems up to 8 cm tall or more, the columns of dead leaves topped by a rosette of semi-erect leaves approximately 7 cm across (commonly much smaller). Abaxial petiole and lamina surfaces are often coated in dense, lengthy white hairs; the petioles are often just over half to two thirds the length of the whole leaf, nearly parallel but tapering slightly from base to lamina, and the lamina are oblong-narrow oblanceolate, often curved slightly. Coloration is bright green in the petiole (rarely blushing red), green with red tentacles to solid crimson in the lamina. Inflorescences can reach nearly 22 cm in height, sparsely covered in hairs and bearing up to 10 flowers. Blooms are up to 1.5 cm across, with broadly obovate white or rarely light pink petals. This species can be distinguished from relatives such as D. condor and D. cendeensis by the overall shorter, denser rosettes of leaves and lacking a heterophyllous condition, and the white petal color.

 

Cultivation: grow in a highly sandy peat-based soil (ratio of perhaps 2:1 sand/peat), kept very moist but well drained and humid, with temps of 65-80°F day, 45-55°F night, year round (though drying slightly seasonally may promote blooming). Sow seeds on soil surface, and grow in strong artificial light to full sun.

 

Lifespan and reproduction: perennial. Reproduces through seed and possibly division, and may possibly be grown via leaf or root cuttings.

 

Sources: Silva, T. S. and Corea, A. (2002). Drosera peruensis (Droseraceae), a new species from Peru. Novon 12(4): 543-545.

Gonella et al. (2016). A revision of Drosera (Droseraceae) from the central and northern Andes, including a new species from the Cordillera del Condor (Peru and Ecuador). Plant Systematics and Evolution 302: 1419-1432