Drosera kenneallyi
Encyclopedia
Drosera kenneallyi is a carnivorous plant
in the genus Drosera and is endemic to the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia
. Its leaves are arranged in a compact basal rosette
appressed to the soil. Narrowly oblanceolate
petioles
emerging from the center of the rosette are typically 1.5–2.2 mm wide at their widest. Red carnivorous leaves at the end of the petioles are small at 2–3 mm in diameter and elliptic to broadly ovate. Inflorescence
s are 12.5–20.5 cm (4.9–8.1 in) long with white flowers being produced on 10- to 20-flowered raceme
s from November to December.
Drosera kenneallyi is found in sandy loam
soils on the margins of the Airfield Swamp. The type
material was collected under a Eucalyptus latifolia near the Airfield Swamp. During January and February, this species is frequently flooded with high-temperature water. It survives these conditions by altering the position of its petioles with the rise and fall of the surrounding water. This allows the insect-catching leaves to remain above the water's surface.
Drosera kenneallyi is native to the Mitchell Plateau in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia and is common within a 5 km (3.1 mi) radius around the Mitchell Plateau Airfield. It was first collected in 1982 by Kevin F. Kenneally, for whom this species is named. In 1993, Allen Lowrie
traveled to the Kimberley with the Landscope
expedition and collected this species, introducing it into cultivation. It was only then confirmed that D. kenneallyi is a distinct species from the other members of Drosera subgenus
Lasiocephala
. Lowrie formally described this species in a 1996 issue of Nuytsia
, the journal of the Western Australian Herbarium
. In his description, he noted that D. kenneallyi is most closely related to D. falconeri
, which is found in similar habitats. Drosera kenneallyi can be distinguised from D. falconeri by its noticeably smaller leaves and shorter inflorescence, but the two species share many characteristics.
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 the Kimberley region in northern 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 leaves are arranged in a compact 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:...
appressed to the soil. 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...
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...
emerging from the center of the rosette are typically 1.5–2.2 mm wide at their widest. Red carnivorous leaves at the end of the petioles are small at 2–3 mm in diameter and elliptic to broadly ovate. 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 12.5–20.5 cm (4.9–8.1 in) long with white flowers being produced on 10- to 20-flowered 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...
s from November to December.
Drosera kenneallyi is found in sandy loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
soils on the margins of the Airfield Swamp. The type
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
material was collected under a Eucalyptus latifolia near the Airfield Swamp. During January and February, this species is frequently flooded with high-temperature water. It survives these conditions by altering the position of its petioles with the rise and fall of the surrounding water. This allows the insect-catching leaves to remain above the water's surface.
Drosera kenneallyi is native to the Mitchell Plateau in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia and is common within a 5 km (3.1 mi) radius around the Mitchell Plateau Airfield. It was first collected in 1982 by Kevin F. Kenneally, for whom this species is named. In 1993, 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...
traveled to the Kimberley with the Landscope
Landscope
Landscope is the quarterly journal of Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation. It publishes technical and popular articles on matters related to the conservation and management of natural resources in Western Australia....
expedition and collected this species, introducing it into cultivation. It was only then confirmed that D. kenneallyi is a distinct species from the other members of Drosera subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Lasiocephala
Drosera subg. Lasiocephala
Drosera subg. Lasiocephala, sometimes collectively known as the petiolaris-complex, is a subgenus of 14 species in the genus Drosera. These species are distinguished by their subpeltate to peltate lamina....
. Lowrie formally described this species in a 1996 issue of Nuytsia
Nuytsia (journal)
Nuytsia is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Western Australian Herbarium. It publishes papers on systematic botany, giving preference to papers related to the flora of Western Australia. Nearly twenty percent of Western Australia's plant taxa have been published in Nuytsia. First published...
, the journal of the Western Australian Herbarium
Western Australian Herbarium
The Western Australian Herbarium is the State Herbarium in Perth, Western Australia, Western Australia. It is part of the State government's Department of Environment and Conservation, and has responsibility for the description and documentation of the flora of Western Australia.The Herbarium is...
. In his description, he noted that D. kenneallyi is most closely related to D. falconeri
Drosera falconeri
Drosera falconeri is a carnivorous plant in the genus Drosera. It is endemic to the Northern Territory in Australia.-Description:Drosera falconeri superficially resembles the Venus flytrap...
, which is found in similar habitats. Drosera kenneallyi can be distinguised from D. falconeri by its noticeably smaller leaves and shorter inflorescence, but the two species share many characteristics.
See also
- List of Drosera species
- Taxonomy of Drosera