Round-Leaved Sundew vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Round-Leaved Sundew vs Nodding Onion

Allium cernuum

Drosera rotundifolia

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Nodding Onion
Round-Leaved Sundew

Nodding Onion is a native perennial wildflower known for its nodding clusters of flowers that range in color from white to pink to purple. The lightly scented blooms provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, especially bees, which can collect while hanging upside down, a capability most other insects lack.

The narrow, grass-like leaves of the Nodding Onion can be used as a seasoning in cooked dishes, though bulbs and raw leaves should not be eaten in large quantities. All parts of the plant have an onion-like aroma when bruised, which helps deter deer and rabbits. They can self-seed readily, so removing spent blooms helps manage their spread. Tolerant of a range of soils, including alkaline, it is well-suited for a variety of plantings, including pollinator gardens and naturalization projects.

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.

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Round-Leaved Sundew Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.2 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Growth form: rosette-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Spreading: axillary bud plantlets - medium, seeds - low
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic

Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Foliage: round, green with sticky red tentacles
Fall colour: red to marooon
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Flowers: tiny white flowers on long leafless stem
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion
Other Names: roundleaf sundew