Drosera rubrifolia, Hex River mts., SA, 30 seeds

Drosera rubrifolia, the red leaf sundew forms a compact flat rosette of 15 to 20 distinctly stalked leaves, each about 15 mm long, and vivid red. The leaf blades are nearly circular, about 8 mm across. It looks superficially like Drosera slackii or Drosera venusta in colour and leaf shape, but is more closely related to Drosera aliciae. They both have papery white stipules and fine white hairs on the leaf underside. Flowers are dark pink and appear in late summer.

Drosera rubrifolia grows in permanently wet, peaty seepages along small streams in the mountains near Ceres and Tulbagh. These are cold, bright, high-altitude sites where water runs continuously over rock faces, in mountain fynbos ecosystem.

Drosera rubrifolia was discovered by Eric Green, a Cape Town field botanist who spent decades exploring the Western Cape mountains. Green found it near Ceres and sent plants to Paul Debbert, who formally described it in 2002.

Drosera rubrifolia Hex River mountains is a location plant from The Hex River mountains (Afrikaans: Hexrivierberge), which make up the second highest mountain range of the Western Cape mountains. Interestingly, despite intensive searches at the type locality, the species was not found there again. Green's collections are the source of all material in cultivation.