Drosera verrucata is a raised-rosette pygmy sundew from southern Western Australia. Its profile begins with a naming issue because that issue affects photographs, cultivation histories and exchanged plants: material of this species has often circulated as D. dichrosepala.
Identity and history
Kew accepts Drosera verrucata Lowrie & Conran and records its publication in 2013. It treats the plant as a separate species native to south-western Australia. Kew taxonomic record
Boaz Ng explains the historical misapplication of D. dichrosepala to south-coast plants. His field account describes D. verrucata with a short stem of old growth, a raised crown, fleshy petioles carrying small glands, and flower stalks with a fine glandular covering. He records clayey sandy habitats in heath and shrubland. Field account and naming history
That history makes an old label a clue to investigate, not proof that every plant carrying it is wrong. Preserve the original name and source while gathering the structures needed for a revised determination.
Comparing similar raised pygmies
The long woolly scape hairs of D. scorpioides and D. lasiantha contrast with the finer glandular covering described for D. verrucata. Comparisons should include an open flower and the scape rather than depend solely on a raised rosette. Field comparison
Use a side photograph, a flower close-up and a view of mature leaves. Record the scale and flowering stage. Photographs taken at different ages can make the same accession appear quite different, especially when a stem gradually accumulates beneath the active crown.
Cultivation records need a confirmed identity
A useful growing account connects a named plant to its actual conditions. For old stock labelled D. dichrosepala, keep the care history but do not automatically transfer it to true D. dichrosepala. The observations may remain valuable once attached to a corrected identification.
The sources reviewed here establish botanical identity and field context more firmly than an optimum cultivation recipe. Use the series’ pygmy-sundew framework for established plants, and retain a successful documented accession routine. Claims about exact temperature limits, compulsory summer drying or a guaranteed propagation rate would need additional species-specific evidence.
Propagation without losing the record
Keep vegetatively propagated plants under the same accession identity, adding the propagation date. If a parent is later redetermined, annotate its descendants too. A collection register makes that possible even after several pots have been produced or exchanged.
Seed-grown material should be recorded separately with its known parents. Do not silently promote a colour description or a locality phrase into a formal cultivar or variety. These different kinds of names answer different questions about a plant.
Conservation and responsible sourcing
Kew’s attributed conservation information reports Least Concern for this species, distinct from the assessment shown for D. dichrosepala. Correct identification therefore matters even when discussing conservation, and an old mixed application of a name can confuse the picture. Attributed conservation record
A broad assessment does not establish that every local population is secure or justify removing plants. Documented cultivated propagation provides material for horticulture while retaining the link to its source. For D. verrucata, a particularly useful achievement is a healthy collection whose labels, images and growing observations all refer to the same correctly identified plant.
Nano Nursery Drosera Encyclopedia — species profile. Related core chapters: 16, 17 and 29. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Cultivation guidance concerns established plants.
