Drosera riparia

The smallest member of the D. villosa complex, and one of the smoothest. Most species in this group are covered in hairs, but D. riparia has mostly smooth leaf surfaces, an unusual trait that sets it apart. It only received a formal name in 2014, having circulated in collections as Drosera sp. "Bahia" for years before that.

It grows along rivers, waterfalls and canyons in the Chapada Diamantina highlands of Bahia, Brazil, at 850-1850 m elevation. You'll find it in sandy soil or thin sand layers over sandstone, often among Sphagnum moss. The name riparia means "of the river bank", which fits. This is a species that sticks close to water.

Plants form compact rosettes of semi-erect leaves up to about 5 cm long, with petioles that are as long as or longer than the leaf blades. Flowers are small and pale pink, on thin scapes up to 20 cm tall. Compared to its closest relatives like D. ascendens and D. graomogolensis, it is noticeably smaller and more delicate, with smaller flowers and those distinctly smooth leaves.