Drosera adelae
Encyclopedia
Drosera adelae, commonly known as the lance-leaved sundew or the Adelaide sundew, is a carnivorous plant
in the genus Drosera that is endemic to Queensland
, Australia
.
that produces long, sword-shaped leaves in a basal rosette
. The leaves, like most other Drosera species, are covered with sticky, stalked tentacles that secrete the prey-capturing glue. Tentacle movement in this species, unlike other Drosera, is minimal and slow to the point of being barely noticeable. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate
and are typically 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long and 7-10 mm wide. The lower surface of the leaves are glabrous and petioles
are either very short or absent. Inflorescence
s are one-sided raceme
and up to 35 cm (14 in) long, bearing many red, reddish orange, or cream coloured flowers from June to November. The five petals produce a perfect pentagon shape.
Drosera adelae reproduces rapidly by asexual means, generating new plantlet
s from the spreading roots, which means this species is often found in large clumps.
This species has a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 30, though a cultivated cytotype of the species had been reported as having 2n = 28, which botanist Fernando Rivadavia suggested may represent different forms of the species.
in Queensland, Australia. It shares similar habitats with the other two closely related Queensland Drosera: D. schizandra
and D. prolifera
.
in volume 4 of his work Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ, published in 1864. A later infraspecific taxon
, described by Ludwig Diels
in his 1909 work published in a volume of Das Pflanzenreich as D. adelae var. latior F.Muell. ex Diels is now considered to be a synonym of D. schizandra.
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
in the genus Drosera that is endemic to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
Drosera adelae is a tropical perennial plantPerennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
that produces long, sword-shaped leaves in a basal rosette
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
. The leaves, like most other Drosera species, are covered with sticky, stalked tentacles that secrete the prey-capturing glue. Tentacle movement in this species, unlike other Drosera, is minimal and slow to the point of being barely noticeable. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
and are typically 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long and 7-10 mm wide. The lower surface of the leaves are glabrous and petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
are either very short or absent. Inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are one-sided raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
and up to 35 cm (14 in) long, bearing many red, reddish orange, or cream coloured flowers from June to November. The five petals produce a perfect pentagon shape.
Drosera adelae reproduces rapidly by asexual means, generating new plantlet
Plantlet
Plantlets are young or small plants used as propagules. They are usually grown from clippings of mature plants. Many plants such as spider plants naturally create stolons with plantlets on the ends as a form of asexual reproduction.-External links:...
s from the spreading roots, which means this species is often found in large clumps.
This species has a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 30, though a cultivated cytotype of the species had been reported as having 2n = 28, which botanist Fernando Rivadavia suggested may represent different forms of the species.
Distribution and habitat
Drosera adelae typically grows in the densely shaded margins of the northeastern Australian rainforests in sandy soils along creek banks or on wet rocks near waterfalls. The species is native to Rockingham Bay, Hinchinbrook IslandHinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island lies east of Cardwell and north of Lucinda, Queensland Australia. Hinchinbrook Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and wholly protected within the Hinchinbrook Island National Park, except for a small resort. It is the largest island on the Great Barrier Reef...
in Queensland, Australia. It shares similar habitats with the other two closely related Queensland Drosera: D. schizandra
Drosera schizandra
Drosera schizandra is a species of Drosera found in Queensland, Australia.-External links:...
and D. prolifera
Drosera prolifera
Drosera prolifera is a species of Drosera found in Queensland, Australia.-External links:...
.
Botanical history
Drosera adelae was first described by Ferdinand von MuellerFerdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
in volume 4 of his work Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ, published in 1864. A later infraspecific taxon
Infraspecific name (botany)
In botany, an infraspecific name is the name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecific taxon. The scientific names of plants are regulated by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature...
, described by Ludwig Diels
Ludwig Diels
Dr. Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels , was a German botanist.Diels was born in Hamburg, the son of the classical scholar Hermann Alexander Diels. From 1900 to 1902 he traveled together with Ernst Pritzel through South Africa, Java, Australia and New Zealand. Shortly before the first world war he...
in his 1909 work published in a volume of Das Pflanzenreich as D. adelae var. latior F.Muell. ex Diels is now considered to be a synonym of D. schizandra.
Cultivation
Though it is a tropical plant, D. adelae is somewhat tolerant of frost and can return from its roots after short periods of cold temperatures just below the freezing point. It can be grown in brighter light, less humidity, and cooler temperatures than its closely allied relatives, D. prolifera and D. schizandra. In low light conditions, the leaves are typically greener and the plant can grow to be a foot in diameter, but brighter light will cause the plants to produce shorter, bronze coloured leaves.External links
- The original description of the species by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1864