Flower profile

Round-leaved sundew

Drosera rotundifolia

Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is a flowering plant in the Droseraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Round-leaved sundew is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in July–August.

35states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

16,405U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia

Quick look

Drosera rotundifolia, the round-leaved sundew, roundleaf sundew, or common sundew, is a species of carnivorous flowering plant that grows in bogs, marshes and fens.
From Wikipedia's article Drosera rotundifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Droseraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 35 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 1,124 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #41 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,110 research-grade sightings of it in Maine, ranking #62 among the 160 flowers on our Maine list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,070 research-grade sightings of it in New Hampshire, ranking #49 among the 157 flowers on our New Hampshire list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (192 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Alaska	Native	few records (11)	1,124
Maine	Native	few records (27)	1,110
New Hampshire	Native	few records (23)	1,070
Vermont	Native	few records (27)	916
West Virginia	Native	few records (1)	433

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Alaska: No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}
Vermont: Not listed Not on Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022). NatureServe: S5, secure in Vermont. ^{Vermont E&T list}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in West Virginia.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AL (S1), CO (S2), DE (S2), GA (S2), IA (S1), IL (S1), KY (S1), ND (S1), SC (S1), TN (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in West Virginia. ^NatureServe

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records round-leaved sundew in 35 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.

Maine counties with USDA records: Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Waldo, Washington, York.

New Hampshire counties with USDA records: Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, Sullivan.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Greenland: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 483 counties across 32 states; the most are in Michigan (64), Wisconsin (48), Pennsylvania (42).

Other Drosera on Bloomipedia (4): Pink sundew, Spoonleaf sundew, Dwarf sundew, Tracy's sundew.

More from the Droseraceae family (5 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Venus flytrap.

More Alaska flowers

Fireweed

Chamaenerion angustifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in AK: July–August

Common cowparsnip

Heracleum maximum

Native

🌼 Blooms in AK: June–July

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in AK: June–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile DRRO.
iNaturalist, Drosera rotundifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Drosera rotundifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
Maine: Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories.
Maine: Maine Do Not Sell invasive plant list (01-001 C.M.R. ch. 273).
New Hampshire: New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020).
New Hampshire: NH Prohibited Invasive Species List (Agr 3800, Table 3800.1).
Vermont: Endangered and Threatened Plants of Vermont (10 V.S.A. chap. 123; list of Feb 10, 2022).
Vermont: Vermont Quarantine List, Regulated Introduced Plant Species Rule (eff. June 16, 2026).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Drosera rotundifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Irene via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.