Drosera binata "Ghost"

A near-albino selection of D. binata, the only sundew in the world with forked leaves. Where the standard species is green with red tentacles, 'Ghost' emerges from dormancy almost entirely white, pale-cream petioles and blades with just a breath of green, because the clone carries much less chlorophyll than the wild form. The plant is seasonally variable: mostly white through the growing season, sometimes streaked with regular green leaves, occasionally reverting all-green for a short stretch before fading pale again.

The species grows across south-eastern Australia from Queensland down through Tasmania, and on both islands of New Zealand, wherever the ground stays wet: sandy marshes, peat bogs, seepage slopes, creek banks. It is a temperate plant, dying back to the crown between October and March, then pushing fresh pale foliage in spring.

Leaves are erect, slender, and forked once into two sticky points, reaching around 25 cm tall. Clear dew droplets sit along the almost colourless blades, which gives the plant a striking, bone-white look when it catches the light. Flowers are white, carried on tall stalks above the traps. Grow it in a deep pot to accommodate the thick roots, and propagate from root or leaf cuttings, it is slow, but forms substantial clumps with time.