The King Sundew, Drosera regia, was first formally described in 1926. South African botanist Edith Layard Stephens published the species after receiving information and specimens connected with plants found in the Cape region.
The plant’s common name reflects its imposing size among sundews. Its long, strap-like leaves are covered with sticky glandular hairs that trap small animals, especially insects. The scientific name combines Drosera, from a Greek word associated with dew, and regia, Latin for “royal,” referring to the plant’s striking appearance.
The species had been encountered before its formal description. J. Rennie reportedly found plants beside a stream in Baviaans Kloof in 1923, and another population was located near the Witte River in 1926. Cultivation had also been attempted before Stephens published the name. Those earlier observations do not change the answer because the question asks for formal description, the point at which the species entered the scientific literature under its accepted binomial.