Drosera schmutzii
Encyclopedia
Drosera schmutzii is a perennial
tuber
ous species in the genus Drosera that is native to New South Wales
, South Australia
, and Victoria
. It grows in a rosette
3 to 4 cm in diameter with green to red leaves. It is entirely endemic to Kangaroo Island
in South Australia
and occurs mostly in the northern and eastern areas. It grows in sandy clay with laterite
soils in open areas amongst Allocasuarina muelleriana and often in the presence of Stylidium tepperianum. It flowers from June to September.
It was first discovered in September 2002 by Father Erwin Schmutz, for whom the species is named. It was also collected and informally described by C. Clayton in 2003. It was then grown in cultivation for several years while further specimens were examined and finally formally described by Allen Lowrie
and John Godfrey Conran in 2008. It differs from Drosera whittakeri
by its very narrow eglandular petiole
s, semi-erect leaves, and presence of a few whorled leaves separated from the main basal rosette of leaves.
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...
tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
ous species in the genus Drosera that is native to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. It grows 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:...
3 to 4 cm in diameter with green to red leaves. It is entirely endemic to Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and occurs mostly in the northern and eastern areas. It grows in sandy clay with laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
soils in open areas amongst Allocasuarina muelleriana and often in the presence of Stylidium tepperianum. It flowers from June to September.
It was first discovered in September 2002 by Father Erwin Schmutz, for whom the species is named. It was also collected and informally described by C. Clayton in 2003. It was then grown in cultivation for several years while further specimens were examined and finally formally 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...
and John Godfrey Conran in 2008. It differs from Drosera whittakeri
Drosera whittakeri
Drosera whittakeri is a sundew that is native to South Australia.-Description:Plants are 4 to 8 cm in diameter, with broadly spathulate leaves arranged in a rosette. These may be green, orange-yellow or red in colour and are 10 to 15 mm long and 9 to 13 mm wide...
by its very narrow eglandular petiole
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...
s, semi-erect leaves, and presence of a few whorled leaves separated from the main basal rosette of leaves.