Underground energy

Repotting carnivorous plants provides an opportunity to examine them in their entirety. Just as with the foliage, root development is at its most vigorous in spring: the plants strengthen their hold in the ground in preparation for future growth and build up new underground energy reserves. Let’s take a look at the Drosera…

These roots (shown here with their pinkish tips) are thick, stiff, and penetrate deep into the soil… But anchoring is not their primary function: when you remove a Drosera from the soil, you’ll find that they offer no resistance, unlike the more or less numerous rootlets that also develop from the base of the plant. Much like a rhizome, they act as energy reserves; their genetic material enables new plants to be produced should the parent plant die (for example, in winter).

In cultivation, these roots make excellent cuttings, to be placed on well-moistened peat in a warm, bright environment. Drosera capensis, Drosera binata and even Drosera hamiltonii reproduce remarkably well using this method!