Drosera admirabilis

Before it had a name, this species circulated among growers as Drosera sp. "floating," after plants at Bainskloof Pass that grow in shallow running water with their rosettes sitting just above the surface. The stem elongates to keep pace with the water level, giving the impression the plant is adrift. Manfred Debbert described it formally in 1987 and chose the name admirabilis, Latin for "admirable," for its unusually large flowers.

Endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa, where it grows in moist peaty sand along seeps and stream banks on Table Mountain Sandstone, the ancient, nutrient-poor quartzite that defines the Cape mountains. Known from the coast between Hermanus and Betty's Bay, from Bainskloof Pass near Wellington, and south to the Cape of Good Hope.

A flat rosette 3 to 5 cm across with wedge-shaped leaves fringed with sticky tentacles. Flowers are pink to pale purple, large for the plant's size, on stalks up to 30 cm. Often confused with D. aliciae when not in flower, but the leaves are broader and the flower stalks stand straight up rather than curving at the base. Evergreen, with no dormant period.