Drosera indica gives its name to a group of slender, stem-forming sundews that can look deceptively similar. Understanding the species requires separating its current treatment from the much broader use of “indica” on older labels and in older floras.
Identity and the geographical question
Kew accepts Drosera indica L., first published by Linnaeus in 1753. Its current range includes tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, and tropical to subtropical Asia. Australia is absent from that current range summary. Kew taxonomic record
That difference matters because older literature frequently included Australian plants. A source can be valuable for observations made within its study area while its worldwide distribution statement reflects an older, broader species concept. Read the description and the geographical interpretation separately.
The Flora of China account includes D. makinoi as a synonym and extends its broad treatment to Australia. This encyclopedia records that usage as a particular flora treatment rather than treating it as a final resolution of every Asian or Australian accession. Flora of China
For a plant acquired under an old “indica” label, preserve that label and its provenance. A new determination should explain which diagnostic characters were examined and which modern treatment was followed.
Habit, leaves and flowers
The 2022 regional revision for Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo describes a slender annual with erect or matted stems, narrow leaves and a distinct petiole. The trapping blade is about 1–10 cm long, with a leaf stalk about 1–15 mm long. Older leaves bend downwards as growth continues above them. Flowers occur in curved clusters and are pink to purple or mauve in the African material described. Regional taxonomic treatment
The whole plant, a mature leaf base and an open flower are useful complementary views. A photograph of a single sticky leaf rarely captures enough characters for confident identification within this group.
The Flora of China describes fibrous roots and no underground tuber. That distinction helps prevent confusion with superficially similar upright tuberous sundews, whose seasonal survival strategy is different. Flora of China description
Habitat and seasonal interpretation
The African revision records seasonally wet settings, including swamps, pools and river or lake margins. It treats the species as annual. Habitat and life-history account
Kew’s summary instead labels the plant a subshrub. For the life cycle in this profile, the explicit annual descriptions in the regional botanical treatments are more informative than that short database habit label. This is an example of why a growing guide should inspect the underlying flora, especially when a summary field conflicts with a detailed description.
A practical cultivation starting point
Carlton Carnivores recommends warm conditions, strong light, a moist sandy peat substrate and surface-sown seed. Its suggested starting mixture is equal parts sand and peat, with more aerating material possible. The page describes an annual life cycle and treats stem cuttings as a possibility rather than an established method. Horticultural guidance
These recommendations are not a controlled cultivation trial and do not establish one optimum for every plant circulating under the name. In particular, the page’s broad geographical discussion should not override the narrower current Kew treatment used above.
For a documented accession, follow the full cycle: germination, sustained vegetative growth, flowering, capsule development and successful renewal from seed. Record those outcomes together. A plant that grows quickly but produces no viable next generation has not yet demonstrated a sustainable cultivation method.
Reading an uncertain label
Keep uncertainty visible. If the source of a plant is unknown and the identifying structures have not been examined, “received as D. indica” is an accurate accession note. It preserves useful information without asserting that a modern identification has been completed.
The wider Arachnopus chapter provides the group context. This species profile provides a narrower lesson: the history of a name can be just as important as the appearance of a plant when turning old records into reliable growing information.
Nano Nursery Drosera Encyclopedia — species profile. Related core chapters: 11 and 29. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Cultivation evidence is identified in the text.
