beginner's question regarding speed

[Space_Invader]

I've been really interested in sundews for a while and would like to start growing them, but I'm unsure what species to begin with. Due to limited resources, I'd like to avoid the terrarium-only species, and am looking for something to grow in my window. D. capensis is said to be the easiest to grow, but I've also heard that it's extremely slow-moving when it comes to catching pray in comparison to some other species (also, I don't really like how they look). I'd like to have a plant that will move quickly enough to make watching worthwhile, something that reacts in a few minutes or so. For entertainment reasons.

Any recommendations for a fast-moving window plant?

 

[Wolfn]

All sundews are slow moving except for Drosera Burmanni (spelled correctly?). The tentacles on that sundew can curl over prey in less than a minute. However, it's an annual that only lives for one season, and I'm not sure how successful it would be on a window.

My suggestion is Drosera Capensis. I just bought one a few hours ago, and it's supposed to be the easiest carnivorous plant ever. Also, the leaves will wrap and twist around large prey, so that should be entertaining.

 

[DrWurm]

If you're looking for VFT speed, well, you're not gonna find it. Sundews are slow. D. capensis is pretty fast among the sundews. Some species produce "snap tentacles" which are individual tentacles that move rather fast, but that's not *that* much of a show. The only real showy capturing mechanism among CPs belongs to the VFTs. But fear not! A bug mummified by a capensis is an interesting site to say the least.

 

[Space_Invader]

What about spatulata? I'm having difficulty finding photos or other footage of them.

 

[DrWurm]

Spatulata, I believe, moves about as fast as capensis, but is another good beginner plant (read: weed).

 

[Wolfn]

What about spatulata? I'm having difficulty finding photos or other footage of them.

Here it is. However, it's small and kind of......boring and plain.

 

[DrWurm]

D. Rotundifolia and D. Aliciae are also some more dramatic dews.

Oh, and welcome to Terra Forums!

 

[xvart]

What about spatulata? I'm having difficulty finding photos or other footage of them.

Bob Z has compiled a phenomenal amount of photos of all CPs. Check it out here.

xvart.

 

[CPlantaholic]

I have grown about 20 different sundews from seed now.
It has been a slow process for me, but the varieties that have done exceptionally well in my conditions (Iowa) in order from the most success to the least (rated on a scale of 1-10 for difficulty) are: D. aliciae---1
D. capensis 'typical' and 'red'---1---albino version died for me
if you don't like the 'typical' look, try the 'red' form. i think it looks neater, but needs a lot more light, so it would be good for the windowsill.
D. binata 'New Zealand' (not the typical variety)---1
D. tokaensis---1
D. intermedia---1.5 (flowering after 6 months)
D. spatulata---2 (easy to grow but is very slow for me)

some of the harder varieties for me have been:
D. burmannii 5---but is supposed to grow like a weed when given the right conditions. it is very fast---it only took about 10 seconds to close on a gnat one time.
D. filiformis---8
D. indica---10---i can barely keep the things alive
these were just a few examples, so if you want more names, just lmk.
sundews are awesome, so it's great to hear you're giving them a shot.
hope this helps,
Aaron

Good luck