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About the plant What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.
Habit perennial or subshrub Plants of the World Online
Habit Perennial, Forb/herb, Subshrub PLANTS Database
Flower Pale purple Wikipedia
Native range Cape Provinces GBIF Backbone Taxonomy Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.
Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Worth knowing One of the most widely grown sundews, and an easy one: its sticky leaves curl around the prey they catch. It comes from wet, poor ground in the Cape region of South Africa. Wikipedia: Drosera capensis Two sources report three treatments between them. All are shown.
Protocol 1 N. C. Deno, 1998 Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.
Start around March 9, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 8, 2025.
1 Dry storage
Duration: 240–730 days · Temperature: 70°F 21°C
2 Sow and cover
Temperature: 70°F 21°C · Light: light
about 2 years from start to sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.
50% germination in 28 days.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Drosera p. 31Public domain Show the original text Drosera (Droseraceae). D. capensis germ. 100% in 10-12 d in 70L and 70D(none) for seeds up to 2 y DS. Seeds DS 3 y and 4 y germ. 70L(50% in 4th w) and 70D(none). About half the seeds appeared to have died between 2 and 3 y DS, but it is difficult to get acccurate percent germinations with such small seeds. The slowing of the germination rate is accurate and is a more reliable indicator that there has been some deterioration in the seeds. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Drosera p. 31. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list. Protocol 2 N. C. Deno, 1998 Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.
Start around March 9, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 8, 2024.
1 Dry storage
Duration: 1095 days · Temperature: 70°F 21°C
2 Sow and cover
Temperature: 70°F 21°C · Light: light
about 3 years from start to sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.
50% germination in 28 days.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Drosera p. 31Public domain Show the original text Drosera (Droseraceae). D. capensis germ. 100% in 10-12 d in 70L and 70D(none) for seeds up to 2 y DS. Seeds DS 3 y and 4 y germ. 70L(50% in 4th w) and 70D(none). About half the seeds appeared to have died between 2 and 3 y DS, but it is difficult to get acccurate percent germinations with such small seeds. The slowing of the germination rate is accurate and is a more reliable indicator that there has been some deterioration in the seeds. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Drosera p. 31. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list. Protocol 3 N. C. Deno, 1996 1 Dry storage
Duration: 240–730 days · Temperature: 70°F 21°C
2 Sow and cover
Temperature: 70°F 21°C · Light: dark
about 2 years from start to sowing.
0% germination.
Nothing germinated at 70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Drosera p. 40Public domain Show the original text Drosera (Droseraceae). The effect of iight varied from no effect to promoting germination to being an absolute requirement for germination. Germination in 70 GA-3 was always poor and often zero. Except for D. capensis germ. 70L(100% in 10-12 d) and none in 70D for seeds DS either 8 m, 18 m, or 2 y. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Drosera p. 40. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list. How each step is done , in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.
Germination trials Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials
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