Here is a post I did up on another forum, but the pics won't load.
Drosera Adelea, also known as the lance leafed sundew, is the most widespread and adaptable of three Drosera species found within the rainforests of north Queensland, the other two being Schizandra and Prolifera, it should be noted that the below information is based upon my own observations, as opposed to information gathered from books, online or from other growers.
Since moving from the Kimberly to North Queensland in 2006 I have found 27 Drosera Adelea populations, of these, 5 have been destroyed, 3 as a result of a cyclone, 1 as a result of clearance for the highway upgrades and 1 I believe was drought, however am not 100% certain, of these populations I have replenished the highway population, as work in that part was complete, I first attempted to acquire permission from council, who didn’t actually care, I then cleared away all of the steel and timber, waited for the rains to wash away the silt/mud, I then planted some native moss and waited for it to grow out, after 6-8months It was ready for Adelea to be re-established, it should be noted that prior to the road work I had collected seed from this site, so the plants I put here where not from another population , I believe this is important. A few months after I returned to check on them to find that my original 20plants had spread to about 50 plants, a good sign that the population is back on track, I also re-established one of the mountain populations that was washed away during floods, however this was on private property and I attained permission to do so.
Description
Although the largest I have grown is only 32cm, I have measured wild plants as large as 35cm tip to tip, and have no doubt larger specimens exist. They typically have long, narrow leaves that end with a point, however plants growing in lower light levels can have oval leaves, all shaded plants have dark green leaves and plants in sunnier conditions have reddish leaves, these plants form stems as they grow and in some cases can be as tall as 15cm (soil to new growth point).
Habitat/Range
The plant has a scattered distribution of just over 100kms; from about Ingham to Innisfail, within this range they commonly inhabit permanent to semi-permanent creeks, seeps and bogs that are either within or that border rainforest. The Three largest populations I have ever found are located on the side of a forestry rd near the town of Tully, on a creek bank on Hinchinbrook Island and the largest is a mainland population in a small creek near Ingham, all of these populations have upward of 500 plants and are several years old.
The soil these plants usually occur in composes of leaf debris and sand, although are also commonly found in clay, pure course sand, fibrous tree roots and amongst moss as both lithophytes and epiphytes (on trunks amongst moss up to 1m from the ground), common companion plants to Adelea include moss (particularly leucobryum mosses), ferns, terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, Utricularia (mainly caerula) and fungi, also occasionally D.spathulata and U.uglinosa . They are most commonly found in rainforest areas where more sunlight may reach to the forest floor such as clearings, creeks, rock faces, roads and forest edges, in some cases experiencing several hours of full sun, generally morning sun.
Conditions
(In southern range (Ingham-Cardwell)
Humidity
Temperature (day)
Temperature (night)
Summer
70% and up
27-35c
20-28c
Winter
60-70%
20-28
8-15
Extremes
50-60%
35-40
4-5/35-40
Diet
Small flies, crickets, moth, slaters, spiders, scorpions, beetles, mosquitoes, ants and occasionally atyid shrimp are caught when walking to new water holes.
Notes
Plants found growing in shaded conditions are generally larger, with longer, broader leaves and taller stems, these shaded populations are also larger colonies than their sunnier counterparts.
Flowering occurs from mid September through to early December.
Common threats include several species of caterpillar (which also attack my greenhouse plants), trampling on by larger animals, fertiliser run off from nearby crops and forest clearance.
Cultivation (I have been growing these plants for about 5years, and below are my opinions of the plants cultivation)
Soil’s (in descending order of best)
1. Pure live leucobryum moss (plants grow fast and large)
2. Pure dead sphagnum moss (plants grow fast, but not as large as the prior)
3. 1:1 sphagnum : Perlite (better than pure spag in hotter conditions)
4. Live sphagnum moss (plants seem to grow abit slower than all the previous)
5. 1:1 Sand : Peatmoss (generally results in slower growth then typical moss soils)
6. Pure course Sand (best if using a dripper, will result in faster clumping)
7. Pure coconut fibre (cannot use tray water method)
Pot size
10-20cm tall, surface area doesn’t matter, however a large surface area (25cm +) increases chances of off shooting.
Light
I grow my plants in a greenhouse with 50% shade cloth and in full sun from 9am to 2pm summer, in winter a couple hours more sun.
They will also tolerate full morning sun for a few hours, 70% shade cloth (in full sun for several hours) and bright indirect light.
I also have a couple plants in Townsville in a clear polyhouse that recieves full winter sun from 2-4pm and summer sun from 1-2pm, this experiences much hotter temps than the greenhouse.
Water/ Humidity
Either a dripper method or tray, if using a tray keep the water level ¼ - 1/5 the pots height, or about 5-10cm from the surface level.
The target humidity level is 70-90%, however i have grown these plants in as little as 50% for several months, and although the plants soldered on, they slowed growth and threw out smaller leaves, i also mist my plants leaves on hot days (30+) and when humidity drops below 60% (in Townsville), this seems to benefit the plant, it also slows the growth of mould when using fish food pellets.
Food
Small flies or crickets, or Betta fish/turtle food pellets (no larger than ¼ the width of the leaf), avoid fertilising as this only burns the leaves, also avoid woodies which also seem to burn the leaves, possibly to high of protein.
Propagation
For all aim for temps of 15-25c
Seed
Has a high germination rate, simple sprinkle onto a peat/sand mix or sphagnum and mist, than place in a terrarium or put a dome over the seed to create a high humidity and place in bright light, fresh seed germinate in about 2 weeks, older seed may take up to a month, a seed grown plant is capable of flowering once it is 2-4 years old, this is generally a 8-20cm diameter for me.
Root cutting
When re-potting an Adelea, or if a root leaves a pot, simply cut a piece 3-5cm long and place on pure sphagnum, place sphagnum on the ends to hold in place, then into high humidity (70% and up) and bright light, within 2-3 weeks expect to see a small plantlet emerging.
Leaf cutting
This is by far the easiest and fastest way to attain several large plants in a short time frame. Cut a leaf, preferably a large, new leaf (5cm +), and either place it on pure sphagnum and put in a humid environment and bright light, or put in a glass jar of pure water, then place in bright conditions.
Generally the water method has a higher success rate, and even works for older leaves.