By Timm Nawrocki
Round-leaf sundew (also known as Drosera rotundifolia) is an unusual plant which is native through much of Northern Eurasia and Northern North America, including Alaska. It is unique because, rather than converting the sun’s light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, it digests insects to extract nutrients and energy. The plant is roughly 3 inches tall with basal leaves laying flat on the ground and no stem leaves. White flowers grow up away from the ground on leafless stems. Sticky, red-stalked glands protrude from each of the basal leaves. Small insects, such as mosquitoes and flies, land on the glands and become stuck. Enzymes in the plant’s glandular secretions then digest the insects. You can find Round-leaf Sundew in muskegs, swamps, and wet meadows in the Chugach Mountains and along the Seward Highway.
