Sundews tend to grow on the edges of bogs and streams, in waterlogged conditions, on acidic peaty soils. Since this type of soil is very low in nutrients, the plant supplements its mineral requirements by trapping and digesting insects. The oblong (narrowly oval) leaves are covered in long hairs; at the end of each hair is a ball of glistening sticky goo which entraps insects, after which the leaves close around the insect to digest it.
This plant differs from the Round-leaved Sundew by the shape of its leaves, and a flower stem which is only just longer than the leaves.