Drosera capensis, commonly known as the Cape sundew, is a small rosette-forming carnivorous species of perennial sundew native to the Cape in South Africa. Because of its size, easy to grow nature, and the copious amounts of seed it produces, it has become one of the most common sundews in cultivation, and thus, one of the most frequently introduced and naturalised invasive Drosera species. Description D. capensis produces strap-like leaves, up to long (not including the petiole) and wide, which, as in all sundews, are covered in brightly coloured tentacles which secrete a sticky mucilage that traps arthropods. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that forms a rosette with a diameter of 18 to 25 cm and is characterized by numerous, reddish glandular erosions on 7 cm long and 5 mm wide, elongated leaves. The plant flowers in summer (December and January in its native habitat in South Africa) with up to 50 pale-violet, more than 2 cm large flowers borne on up to 35 cm high racemose inflorescences. The flowers can self-pollinate upon closing and produce copious quantities of very small, spindle-shaped seeds, which are released from the capsules that form when the flowers have died. The plant thrives in full sun locations on nutrient-poor, waterlogged and lime-free soils. Prey catching When insects are first trapped, the leaves roll lengthwise toward the center. This aids digestion by bringing more digestive glands in contact with the prey. The plant leaf surrounds the prey within an hour while tentacles continue to move to further trap the prey. Digestion takes well over 6 hours after a prey's original ensnarement. The plant has a tendency to retain the dead leaves of previous seasons, and the main stem of the plant can become quite long and woody with time. The plant captures their prey by luring it through the dazzling digestive secretions produced on the tentacles of the leaves. The secretion acts as a visual signal, as it shines in the sun and through the red tentacle tip, and is also a chemical attractant that attracts insects. If a victim has been caught in the secretion of the tentacles, then the tentacles near the victim will bend towards it, until a portion of the tentacle-covered region of the leaf has wrapped around the animal. Secreted enzymes will digest the insect until only the chitin remains. The absorption of nutrients takes place via the red