Common Name: Sundew

General Information

Sundew is a perennial herbaceous plant with an erect or climbing stem from 9 - 32cm tall[]. The plant grows from a subterranean tuber about 8mm in diameter, and is only in leaf for a few months each year[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

The plant is slightly toxic according to one report[].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines to Australia.

Habitat

Grassy slopes, at elevations from 1,500 - 3,600 metres in the Himalayas[]. Wet places in Japan[]. Sparse Pinus forests, scrub, meadows, streamsides, sunny open places, roadsides at elevations from sea level to 3,700 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.25 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moderate to high elevations in the sub-tropics to the tropics.
Prefers a sandy peaty soil, succeeding in poor soils and in bogs[].
An insectivorous plant, it can survive in nitrogen poor soils because it gets the nutrients it needs from insects[, ]. The upper surfaces of leaves are covered with hairs that secrete a sweet sticky substance[].This attracts insects, which become smeared with it and unable to escape - the plant then exudes a digestive fluid that enables it to absorb most of the insect into its system[].
A highly variable species in the wild[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is anodyne, blood tonic and carminative[]. It is used in India in making gold bhasma, which is antisyphilitic, alterative and tonic[].
The crushed leaves, with or without salt, have been used as a blistering agent[]. This can be of value as a poultice since it brings more blood to the area and helps speed the clearance of toxins in arthritis and rheumatism[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a free-draining soil with some charcoal added and with a layer of finely chopped sphagnum moss on top[]. Surface sow and keep the compost moist. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

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