Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Drosera schizandra (Drosera schizandra)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Notch-leaved Sundew, Queensland Sundew.

More about drosera schizandra

About Drosera schizandra

Drosera schizandra · also called Notch-leaved Sundew, Queensland Sundew · houseplant

Drosera schizandra is one of the three rare 'Queensland sundews' from Australia's Mount Bartle Frere rainforest, with broad, paddle-shaped, notch-tipped leaves bearing sparse short tentacles. Unlike most sundews it is a shade- and humidity-loving understorey plant, demanding cool, very humid, low-light, terrarium conditions. It is notoriously difficult and intolerant of heat or drying.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (cool tropical; terrarium/indoor only) · RHS H1b (16-26°C year-round (avoid heat spikes))

Watch for — Heat death: Temperatures much above the mid-20s°C cause rapid collapse and rot. Keep it cool year-round and shield from warm spells.

What drosera schizandra's hardiness rating actually means

Drosera schizandra is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11-12 (cool tropical; terrarium/indoor only) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Drosera schizandra has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for drosera schizandra as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can drosera schizandra go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when drosera schizandra can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Drosera schizandra hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is drosera schizandra cold hardy?

Drosera schizandra is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Drosera schizandra can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (cool tropical; terrarium/indoor only)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature drosera schizandra can survive?

What hardiness zone is drosera schizandra?

Drosera schizandra is rated USDA 11-12 (cool tropical; terrarium/indoor only) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can drosera schizandra survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to drosera schizandra below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.