The Cape Sundew or Drosera Capensis Plant

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The Cape Sundew (Drosera capensis)
Introduction:
The Drosera capensis, or more commonly known as the cape sundew is one of the most unusual and spectacular plants found in our world. This eudicodic angiosperm is a small-rosette forming, carnivorous species, meaning that it eats insects or anything else small and unlucky enough to land on it. The cape sundew is one of the most common sundews in cultivation due to its small size, durability and gratuitous amounts of seed production, making it a frequent sight in almost all parts of the world.
Description:
The cape sundew is a small-rosette carnivorous plant. It is a free-flowering evergreen, perennial, of differing heights. It forms a scrape that grows up to 1 foot tall and can bear up to 20 flowers. It has short woody rhizomatous stems, which accumulate and retain dead foliage of each previous season. It has many long, deep, and very well-developed roots. Its leaves are bright green and radiate from the stem. The lamina are linear ligulate, with a petiole that is about the same length as the lamina, being ~3 cm long (Brunner, 2012). The leaf apex is truncate to obtuse. The lamina has knob-shaped tentacles on its adaxial side, which are stalked with mucus covered glands covering the leaves surface. The mucus like fluid on the tentacles is an acidic enzyme that assists in the digestion of the plants prey. This species is considered pubescent with many trichomes covering the majority of the plant. The flowers found on the cape sundew are simple, and generally come in colors of red, pink or white with each flower borne on a single stem. Each flower generally has 5 petals that are from 12-14 mm across. Stamen are short with a rhomboid connective, with the locules diverging below. St...

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