Drosera admirabilis
{{Short description|Species of carnivorous plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = D. admirabilis.jpg
| image_caption = A fully mature Drosera admirabilis. Note the emerging flower stalk from the center.
| image2 = Flower of D. admirabilis.jpg
| image2_caption = D. admirabilis flower
| genus = Drosera
| display_parents = 2
| parent = Drosera sect. Drosera
| species = admirabilis
| authority = Debbert
}}
Drosera admirabilis, sometimes referred to as the "floating sundew", is in the carnivorous plant family Droseraceae. The species was first described by Paul Debbert in 1987{{cite journal |last1=Debbert |first1=Paul |title=Zwei neue Drosera-Arten aus der Kap-provinz, Südafrika |journal=Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung München |date=1987 |volume=23 |pages=431–436 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/53464#page/441/mode/1up |access-date=29 March 2025}} and is native to the south-western Cape Province of South Africa.{{cite POWO|id=933536-1 |title=Drosera admirabilis}}
Structurally similar to Drosera aliciae, and Drosera cuneifolia, the D. admirabilis grows in a single tight rosette-shaped leaf bundle. The leaves widen towards the end and have rounded tips. Leaves lay horizontally under proper lighting conditions. Like many other African sundews, D. admirabilis is a perennial.{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/Droseraceae#ref1248047|title=Droseraceae {{!}} plant family|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-04-22|language=en}} D. admirabilis has outer tentacles like those of Drosera glanduligera, Drosera sessilifolia and Drosera burmanni which briefly after stimulation bend towards the prey.Hartmeyer, I. & Hartmeyer, S., (2005) Drosera glanduligera: Der Sonnentau mit "Schnapp-Tentakeln", DAS TAUBLATT (GFP) 2005/2: 34–38
Reproduction
This sundew will flower several times from spring to fall if given proper environmental conditions.{{Cite book|title=Drosera of the world|others=Robinson, Alastair|date=2017 |isbn=978-1908787187|location=Poole, Dorset, England|oclc=994297137}} The flowers of D. admirabilis sit on top of a 20–30 cm stalk which bend horizontally as each flower opens. Only one flower usually opens each day, opening up early in the morning, and is fully closed by the last light of the day. Its flowers are typically 1 cm in diameter with five light-violet petals and ten yellow anthers in the center, surrounded by six light-violet stigmas.
File:Transplanting a medium D. admirabilis..jpg
Like many other species in the genus Drosera, D. admirabilis is easily propagated by several methods. Seeds, root (easy) and leaf (more challenging than from other South African species) cuttings are standard ways to asexually propagate this species.{{cite web |last1=May |first1=Aaron |title=Drosera admirabilis |url=http://www.growsundews.com/sundews/Drosera_admirabilis.html |website=growsundews. com |access-date=16 June 2025}}
Cultivation
A fully mature D. admirabilis takes about one full year and can grow to about 5 cm in diameter, while reaching over 8 cm tall. This sundew can grow all year long without any dormancy period. It gets marketed with the name "floating sundew" because a fully mature specimen looks like it is hovering because new leaves are above vertically stacked old leaves. When the plant receives ample amounts of light its trichomes can darken from a green to a deep red.
It can tolerate a wide range of temperatures but prefers to stay {{convert|70|-|80|F|C}}. D. admirabilis does well in all ranges of humidity if properly watered, but optimal humidity is maintained within 25–50%.
If grown indoors/greenhouse, a slightly acidic soil mixture such as 1:1 peat to sand ratio supplements best for cultivating D. admirabilis. Its roots grow deep into its substrate, thus a taller pot is preferred when housing a fully grown D. admirabilis.