Drosera affinis
{Namibia, South Africa}
Plants
Drosera affinis is a species that can be found in Angola, Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and is uncommon in cultivation.
Etymology: Drosera from Greek droseros ‘dewy’1. Affinis meaning ‘related to’, 'near to', 'resembling' or 'neigbouring'.2 This possibly refers to D. affinis being compared to D. capensis, as described in Flora of Tropical Africa 2: p-402. 1871. According to the book D. affinis is "near to D. capensis, in which, however, the leaf-lamina is uniformly linear or even slightly narrowed towards the apex." 3
This form of Drosera affinis grows bigger than other location forms, grows barely a stem and has barely any hairs on the petioles. Drosera affinis is a species that can look a lot like D. nidiformis. The biggest difference between the two species will become obvious when the plants mature. Drosera affinis creates very long petioles when mature, while D. nidiformis quickly maxes out and stays more compact. The lamina of D. affinis is distinct from the petiole, unlike D. nidiformis where the petiole and lamina overlap a lot.
Flowers
The flowers are a deep purple. The flower stalks are about 2-3 times longer than the leaves. The pedicels are shorter than the calyx. The flower has 3 styles, which are divided at the base into two slender branches equalling or exceeding the ovary.3