Drosera derbyensis
Encyclopedia
Drosera derbyensis is a perennial
carnivorous plant
in the genus Drosera and is endemic to Western Australia
. Its erect or semi-erect leaves are arranged in a rosette
with one or more rosettes emerging from the root stock. The petioles
are narrowly oblanceolate
, 0.8-1.0 mm wide at the proximate end and 1.3-1.7 mm wide at the apex, narrowing to 0.5-0.7 mm at the laminar
base. The petioles are frequently 35-45 mm long when the plant is in flower and are covered in white woolly non-dendritic hairs. The insect-trapping leaf lamina is orbicular
and much shorter than the petioles at only 2-3 mm in diameter. The laminar adaxial surface is covered in insect-trapping glands. Each rosette produces 1-4 raceme
inflorescence
s, which are 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) long. Each inflorescence bears 30-50 white flowers, with flowering occurring from March to June. The upper portion of the scape
and the abaxial surface of the sepal
s are covered with white woolly non-dendritic hairs. Its roots are fibrous. Drosera derbyensis grows in sandy soils in floodways or near rock outcrops from Derby
to Beverley Springs in the Kimberley region.
It was first described by Allen Lowrie
in 1996; the type specimen was collected from the Silent Grove camping area in the Kimberley on 5 June 1995. Earlier specimens had been collected as early as 2 February 1971 by K. M. Allen. On 29 March 1988, Lowrie first noticed this new species growing near the Boab Prison Tree
, 0.6 km (0.372823641989884 mi) from Derby. The specific epithet derbyensis refers to region where this plant occurs. Lowrie assessed its conservation status in 1996 as locally common and not under any threat. Among the Drosera petiolaris
-complex, D. derbyensis is closely related to D. lanata
, but differs from that species by the non-dendritic hairs covering the leaves. The hairs covering this species is assumed to be an adaptation to avoid desiccation
during the dry season.
Drosera derbyensis is grown in cultivation and has been found to thrive in heated water.
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 and is endemic to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Its erect or semi-erect 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 or more rosettes emerging from the root stock. The 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 narrowly oblanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, 0.8-1.0 mm wide at the proximate end and 1.3-1.7 mm wide at the apex, narrowing to 0.5-0.7 mm at the laminar
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
base. The petioles are frequently 35-45 mm long when the plant is in flower and are covered in white woolly non-dendritic hairs. The insect-trapping leaf lamina is orbicular
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 much shorter than the petioles at only 2-3 mm in diameter. The laminar adaxial surface is covered in insect-trapping glands. Each rosette produces 1-4 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...
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, which are 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) long. Each inflorescence bears 30-50 white flowers, with flowering occurring from March to June. The upper portion of the scape
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
and the abaxial surface of the sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s are covered with white woolly non-dendritic hairs. Its roots are fibrous. Drosera derbyensis grows in sandy soils in floodways or near rock outcrops from Derby
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
to Beverley Springs in the Kimberley region.
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 from the Silent Grove camping area in the Kimberley on 5 June 1995. Earlier specimens had been collected as early as 2 February 1971 by K. M. Allen. On 29 March 1988, Lowrie first noticed this new species growing near the Boab Prison Tree
Boab Prison Tree
The Boab Prison Tree is a large hollow Adansonia gregorii tree just south of Derby, Western Australia. It is reputed to have been used in the 1890s as a lockup for Indigenous Australian prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing...
, 0.6 km (0.372823641989884 mi) from Derby. The specific epithet derbyensis refers to region where this plant occurs. Lowrie assessed its conservation status in 1996 as locally common and not under any threat. Among the Drosera petiolaris
Drosera petiolaris
Drosera petiolaris is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera and is the eponymous species of the petiolaris species complex, which mostly refers to the entire subgenus Lasiocephala...
-complex, D. derbyensis is closely related to D. lanata
Drosera lanata
Drosera lanata is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera and is endemic to the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. Its leaves are arranged in a compact basal rosette. Narrow linear petioles less than 2 mm wide emerge from the center of the rosette and hold carnivorous leaves at...
, but differs from that species by the non-dendritic hairs covering the leaves. The hairs covering this species is assumed to be an adaptation to avoid desiccation
Desiccation
Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.-Science:...
during the dry season.
Drosera derbyensis is grown in cultivation and has been found to thrive in heated water.
See also
- List of Drosera species
- Taxonomy of Drosera