FNPS Plant Database

Drosera tracyi

threadleaf sundew, Tracy's sundew
  • Photo by: Jeannie Brodhead, Saracennia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

threadleaf sundew, Tracy's sundew

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Drosera tracyi

Family:

Droseraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

10-12 inches.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pink

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Blooms in spring to early summer. Winter dormant.

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Bog gardens and rain gardens.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed.  At least for most species, winter cold stratification is highly benefitial.  Seeds should not be buried, but benefit from being stored in a cold location (refrigerator) for several months.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Unknown

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators

The plant both attracts insects for pollination and traps and digests insects.  Though this species has not been well studied, other species are known to have mechanisms for keeping these separate -- eating your pollinator is not a good plant survival strategy.  On study suggests that the primary separation mechanism is raising the flowers well above the sticky stems so that the pollinators don't get trapped.





Sweat bees ( Agapostemon ), bumble bees ( Bombus ), syrphid flies, and meloid beetles have been listed as pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Savannas, bogs, moist disturbed ruderal areas (selected roadside swales), wet flatwoods

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

A similar species, Drosera filiformis is rare in the Florida panhandle and disjunct from northeastern US populations.  In Florida, it is restricted to the Sand Hill Lakes region of the Panhandle and occurs along the fringes of those sandhill lakes.  At one time, Drosesra tracyi was called Drosera filiformis var. tracyi.  They are now considered to be different species.

Citations:

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. (1993+). Flora of North America North of Mexico. (a href="https://floranorthamerica.org/Drosera_tracyi" target="_blank">https://floranorthamerica.org/Drosera_tracyi). Accessed 2026.


Hammer, Roger. (2018). Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Brittnacher, John. (2019). Growing Drosera filiformis, D. tracyi , and their hybrids. ( https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/Dfiliformis ). Accessed 2026. International Carnivorous Plant Society, Walnut Creek, CA.


Nelson, Gil. (2005). East Gulf Coastal Plain Wildflowers. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT.


Rice, Barry. (2011). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter: The thread-leaf sundews Drosera filiformis and Drosera tracyi. ( http://www.sarracenia.com/pubs/cpn40-4-16.pdf ). Accessed 2026. International Carnivorous Plant Society, Walnut Creek, CA.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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