Drosera darwinensis
Encyclopedia
Drosera darwinensis is a perennial
carnivorous plant
in the genus Drosera that is endemic to the Northern Territory
. Its leaves are arranged in a rosette
with one rosette
emerging from the root stock. It produces pink or white flowers from December to April. Drosera darwinensis grows in clayey sand from Palmerston
to Berry Springs
south of Darwin
and east to Humpty Doo
. It was first described by Allen Lowrie
in 1996; the type specimen was collected 0.9 km (0.559235462984826 mi) south of Temple Avenue in Palmerston on 8 April 1990. The specific epithet darwinensis refers to region where this plant is found in abundance. It is closely related to D. brevicornis
, but differs from that species by its shorter inflorescence
(5–15 cm long in D. darwinensis and 30–40 cm long in D. brevicornis).
Perennial 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...
carnivorous plant
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 the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. Its leaves are arranged in a 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:...
with one 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:...
emerging from the root stock. It produces pink or white flowers from December to April. Drosera darwinensis grows in clayey sand from Palmerston
Palmerston, Northern Territory
Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory...
to Berry Springs
Berry Springs, Northern Territory
Berry Springs is an outer suburban area in Darwin. The name "Berry Springs" derived from "Berry Creek", named by Goyder in 1870, after his Chief Draftsman, Edwin S Berry....
south of Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
and east to Humpty Doo
Humpty Doo, Northern Territory
Humpty Doo is a small town in Australia's Northern Territory, situated just south of the Arnhem Highway, approximately 40 km from Darwin. At the 2006 census, Humpty Doo had a population of 5,413....
. It was first described by Allen Lowrie
Allen Lowrie
Allen Lowrie is a West Australian botanist. He is living in Duncraig, a Perth suburb, is married and has two daughters.Lowrie, originally a businessman and inventor, got in contact with the carnivorous flora of western Australia in the late sixties and worked on it as an amateur...
in 1996; the type specimen was collected 0.9 km (0.559235462984826 mi) south of Temple Avenue in Palmerston on 8 April 1990. The specific epithet darwinensis refers to region where this plant is found in abundance. It is closely related to D. brevicornis
Drosera brevicornis
Drosera brevicornis is a small, perennial carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera that is native to the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It grows on gravel slopes and produces white to pink flowers in March and April. It was first described by Allen Lowrie in 1996, though earlier specimens...
, but differs from that species by its shorter 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...
(5–15 cm long in D. darwinensis and 30–40 cm long in D. brevicornis).
See also
- List of Drosera species
- Taxonomy of Drosera