Drosera pygmaea is New Zealand's smallest sundew and the only member of the genus to have tetramerous flowers. Each plant begins it's life from a seed or gemma (asexual propagule). They grow rapidly and reach full size within a matter of a few short months. Their rosette of tiny carnivorous leaves averages about 1cm across and has a central crown of stipules. Flowering begins in late spring and can continue into early autumn and a plant may flower several times during this period. The tiny white flowers 3mm across are borne singly and are held about 5-15mm above the ground. During the heat of summer the plant stops growing and the dense stipule bud protects the apical meristem from the temperature extremes. As winter approaches the plants briefly burst into life again before they form gemmae at their centre which expand outwards and are contained by the stipules. The gemmae are scattered near and far by the splashing of raindrops and a new generation is born. The parent plant usually dies shortly after. A rare all-green form is found on the high volcanic plateau in the central North Island where it experiences snowy conditions in winter.
Habitat -
Peatlands and bogs, lake margins and poor sandy and volcanic ash soils.
Distribution -
Often overlooked due to its small size, Drosera pygmaea has a scattered distribution of small colonies occurring up to 1000m altitude, mainly along the west coast of both the North and South Islands. Also found in Southeastern and Southwestern Australia, and Tasmania.
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