Roridula Care Guide

Roridula, At a Glance: 

Roridula gorgonias is one of the two species in the genus Roridula, accompanied by the Roridula dentata. These (somewhat) carnivorous plants are the only genus in the Roridulaceae family, which belongs to the Sarraceniaceae group in the order Ericales.

Carnivorous “cousins” of this plant include Sarracenia, Heliamphora, and Darlingtonia, while other well-known distant relatives include rhododendrons, cranberries, and persimmons! 

Carnivorous, Or Not Carnivorous? 

The Roridula is widely considered to be a proto-carnivorous plant (or partially-carnivorous plant) because even though it does catch insects, it does not digest insects. 

Insects get stuck on the Roridula’s sticky leaves—very similar to Drosera—but the plant does not digest its prey. Rather, a native assassin bug, who does not get stuck on the leaves, comes and eats the trapped insects off the leaves. In turn, the assassin bug defecates onto the plant, and that is how the Roridula gets its nutrients!

The two creatures live in a mutually-beneficial symbiotic relationship, all thanks to the Roridula’s sticky traps, but don’t worry—you don’t need native South African bug poop on hand to take care of this plant!

Roridula Growing Conditions

These plants hail from coastal South Africa, so they naturally grow in a climate with cool, wet winters and warm, humid summers with little rainfall. Our goal as growers is to provide the Roridula with the ideal growing conditions in our own setups far from the South African coast! 

This care guide will walk you through how to grow a Roridula. 

Roridula Lighting

Roridula lighting is very similar to Drosera lighting. In fact, for a long time they were categorized under the Drosera name, but once it was discovered that their sticky leaves do not digest their prey with enzymes, they were removed. 

To give Roridula proper lighting, give them about 12 hours of bright direct light. 

Roridula Temperature

Roridula natively grow in a Mediterranean environment: warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. 

Roridula grow in temperatures no warmer than 90 degrees, though they have been shown to tolerate as high as 100, though this is not recommended. They have also shown to take a light frost, as low as 25 degrees, incurring some damage, but ultimately grew back.

It is recommended that they be given warm temperatures during the day, in the seventies or eighties, with nighttime temperatures cooling into the sixties and seventies, though again—they can tolerate a wider range of temperatures, based on experience growing them in cultivation. 

Roridula Humidity 

Roridula do not thrive in high humidity. Despite growing in a naturally foggy area out in the wild, these plants are highly prone to fungal attack if they are grown in humid air that is stagnant.

Roridula grow well in ambient humidity, but if the growing space does have higher humidity, ensure there is strong airflow to discourage the gathering of droplets on the leaves and the subsequent growth of fungus 

Roridula Watering

To water a Roridula, we recommend watering via the tray method in a sequence similar to that of a Mexican Pinguicula. 

The pot should sit in a shallow tray of distilled, rainwater, or reverse-osmosis water. .

Allow the plant to dry out slightly between waterings before refilling the tray, again—similar to a Mexican Pinguicula. Roridula can be prone to harm if left in overly wet, saturated soil. 

Roridula Feeding / Fertilizing 

As previously mentioned, the sticky leaves of the Roridula do not digest the insects they catch, like Drosera do. In the wild, they rely on their symbiotic relationship with assassin bugs, which digest the prey for the plant. 

To ensure your Roridula gets the nutrients it needs, we recommend foliar feeding with a fertilizer like Maxsea. There is also evidence to suggest that the insects caught by the Roridula will defecate on the leaves, which contributes some nutrition, but foliar feeding is recommended for its reliability. 

Roridula Dormancy 

Roridula do not go dormant.