Drosera platystigma is a small Western Australian sundew with metallic orange flowers. The pale structures at the centre of the bloom are particularly useful when comparing it with darker-centred relatives.
Accepted identity
Kew accepts D. platystigma Lehm., published in 1844, as a perennial native to south-western Australia. Kew record
Features to examine
Fierce Flora describes a flattened rosette with relatively broad petioles, rounded trapping blades and orange flowers with dark basal markings. Broad, egg-shaped stigmas stand on slender pale styles, and the filaments are white. The contrasting dark filaments and styles of D. hyperostigma are useful for comparison. Field identification account
The field account records a broad south-western distribution and varied sandy or clay-rich substrates, sometimes with laterite. Habitat account
Practical cultivation
Curious Plant recommends strong light, low-mineral water, a peat-based carnivorous-plant substrate and ample moisture during active growth. Its advice reduces moisture to slightly damp if a summer rest develops and notes that shortening days encourage gemma production. Nursery growing guidance
The Czech carnivorous-plant society Darwiniana likewise advises keeping resting plants lightly moist rather than completely dry. Its species account describes gemma propagation and reports leaf-cutting propagation as well. Darwiniana cultivation account
The two accounts offer useful points of agreement, but neither means that an unidentified pygmy sundew should automatically receive the same treatment. Establish the name first, then observe the accession’s response.
Propagation and comparison
Keep gemma-derived plants identified with their parent accession. When attempting seed, record the pollination method and parentage rather than assuming all resulting plants are equivalent copies.
Flower-centre photographs are especially useful for this species. Pair them with a whole rosette and a record of seasonal behaviour. That combination makes a collection label more informative and helps separate genuine variation from a simple naming mistake.
Nano Nursery Drosera Encyclopedia — species profile. Related core chapters: 16, 17 and 29. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Cultivation evidence is identified in the text.
