The leaves of the plant are covered with tentacles. They are able to capture large prey, such as beetles, moths and butterflies. The tentacles of all "Drosera" species are specialized glands, capable of producing sticky mucus. The leaves are active flypaper traps: they capture prey by surrounding it. In its native habitat, the plants compete for space with native marsh grasses and low evergreen shrubs. There are two known populations of the plant in the wild. The higher-altitude site is overgrown, and "D. regia" no longer grows there. On the lower-altitude site, there are about 50 mature plants. For this reason, "D. regia" is the most endangered "Drosera" species, since it is threatened with extinction in the wild. It is often grown by people who like carnivorous plants and a single cultivar, "Big Easy", has been registered.