[8] D. capillaris can be confused with D. intermedia (spoonleaf sundew) especially when young, as both form flat rosettes and inhabit the same habitats.

[11][12] Like all members of its genus, D. capillaris leaf blades are covered in glandular trichomes which excrete a sugary mucilage.

[11] Drosera capillaris occurs in subtropical to tropical seepage bogs, savannas, and grasslands often dominated by species of pine, including Pinus palustris (longleaf), P. elliottii (slash), or P. caribaea (Caribbean).

Like other species of sundew, D. capillaris is fire adapted, as elimination of competing plants facilitates proliferation of seedlings.

[13][7] Drosera capillaris is listed as vulnerable in the US state of Virginia, and critically imperiled in Arkansas, Maryland, and Tennessee.