BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
63 
GENUS I. 
THE SUN-DEW. (Drosera, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA HEXAGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Sepals and petals Eve, without appendages. Stamens five. Styles 3—5, divided in two. Glandular herbaceous 
plants. ( Dec.) 
Description, &c. —This is a genus of very singular little plants, all perennials and growing only on very 
wet land. The leaves spring from the root, and are edged with rather long, glandular hairs, from each of which 
exudes a drop of viscous fluid, so that the whole of the leaves look as though covered with drops of dew. The 
flowers are small, but very pretty. The name of Drosera is from drosos , dew ; and that, as well as Sun-Dew, 
evidently alludes to the ordinary appearance of the plant. The genus is placed in the Linnasan class Pentandria, 
on account of its five stamens ; and in the order Hexagynia, because, though it has only three styles, each of 
them looks as though it were cut in two, and thus it appears to have six. 
1.—THE COMMON, OR ROUND-LEAVED SUN-DEW. (Drosera rotundifoi.ia, Lin.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot., t. 867 ; 2nd ed., t. 438. 
Specific Character. —Leaves depressed, nearly orbicular, on hairy foot-stalks. Flower-stalks radical, racemose. [Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This is the most common of all the British species ; and amongst other places it is found 
in great abundance on Woking Common. It has been called the British Fly Trap, as insects have been 
sometimes found sticking to its leaves; but they are evidently not caught in the same manner as by the leaves 
of the American Fly Trap, being apparently only detained by the sticky liquid exuding from the hairs. The 
leaves are round, and grow in a circle, close to the ground. The flowers are white and small, though very 
pretty; they appear in July. __ 
2 .—THE LONG-LEAVED SUN-DEW. (Drosera longifoeia, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 868 ; 2nd ed., t. 459. 
Specific Character. —Leaves ohovate, erect, on naked foot-stalks. Flower-stalks radical, racemose. [Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This species is generally found near the other, and it flowers at the same time. It is, 
however, very distinct in all its parts. The leaves are long, instead of being round; and the flowers are 
pinkish, with frequently six stamens and petals instead of five, and eight styles instead of six. The juice of 
this species is so acrid that it is often used by the country people to remove warts and corns, hut it is said to 
occasion the rot in sheep, and hence both this and the preceding species are known by the name of Red-rot in 
many parts of England. 
3.— THE GREAT SUN-DEW. (Drosera anglica, Hudson.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 869 ; 2nd ed., t. 460 ; and our fig. 4, stalks. Flower-stalks radical, racemose. Styles, 8. Capsules with 
in PI. 14. 4 valves. [Smith.) 
Specific Character. —Leaves oblong, obtuse, erect, on naked foot- 
Description, &c.— This is the handsomest species of all the genus ; but it is comparatively rare. It grows, 
however, in similar situations, that is always on boggy or turfy land ; hut generally near a small pond or rivulet 
where the moisture has sunk into the ground, so as to render it soft to some little distance from the water. It 
also is generally found growing in the shade, or at the bottom of some deep glen; whereas the other species are 
