Round-Leaved Sundew vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Round-Leaved Sundew vs Water Arum

Calla palustris

Drosera rotundifolia

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Water Arum
Round-Leaved Sundew

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Round-Leaved Sundew is a native carnivorous plant, easily recognized by its bright green leaves covered in distinctive red, glandular hairs. These hairs secrete a sticky substance that is used to attract, trap, and digest insects. Their carnivorous nature allows them to survive in nutrient-poor, acidic soils where many other plants may struggle to grow.
They produce small white flowers that grow along the top of a slender, leafless stem. They can be found growing in wetlands, most often among sphagnum moss, in consistently moist, acidic soils. It does best in cooler summer climates and is intolerant of shade. Due to its small size, the plant can be difficult to spot in its natural habitat. Round-Leaved Sundew is an indicator of healthy wetland systems and is valued in ecological restoration and conservation projects.

Water Arum Quick Facts

Round-Leaved Sundew Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.2 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Light: shade, partial shade
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: colony-forming
Growth form: rosette-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Spreading: axillary bud plantlets - medium, seeds - low

Toxicity: toxic if ingested

Foliage: round, green with sticky red tentacles
Fall colour: red to marooon
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Flowers: tiny white flowers on long leafless stem
Bloom time: spring to summer
Bloom time: summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon
Other Names: roundleaf sundew