[1] This sundew has a large range and occurs naturally throughout Southeast Asia, southern China and Japan, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, eastern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Carnivorous plant growers consider D. spatulata to be a weed because it is very hardy and produces copious amounts of seed when it flowers.

In early summer, plants will produce 8 cm (3.1 in) tall erect scapes with around six small white or pink flowers on each one-sided racemose inflorescence.

In 1824, D. spatulata was included in a publication by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, but misprinted as Drosera spathulata, an incorrect spelling that is still common today.

gympiensis was described in 2005 by Robert Gibson and Ivan Snyder, who cited its consistently hairy sepals with no intergradation with the typical D. spatulata form.