Drosera indica, sometimes known as the Indian sundew, is a species of sundew native to tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar and tropical and subtropical Asia.[1] It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum in 1753. Until the early 21st century it was mostly considered a highly variable species with a wide distribution including Australia,[2] but since 2000 several distinct species have been separated from D. indica within Drosera section Arachnopus, which is often referred to as the ‘Drosera indica complex’. Many of these species are endemic to Australia, but D. indica itself is now widely considered to be absent from that country.[3]
Drosera indica is an unbranched, annual herbaceous plant, supported by a fibrous root system and reaching a height of 5–50 cm (2–20 in). Leaves are narrowly linear, up to 10 cm [4 in] long with 1–1.5 cm [0.4–0.6 in] pedicels.[4] Young plants stand upright, while older ones form scrambling stems with only the newest growth exhibiting an upright habit. The plant can be yellow-green to maroon in color. Flower petals can be white, pink, orange, or purple. Its chromosome count is 2n=28.[5]