Drosera spatulata
Encyclopedia
Drosera spatulata, the spoon-leaved sundew, is a variable, rosette-forming sundew
with spoon-shaped leaves. The specific epithet is Latin
for "spatula shaped," a reference to the form of the leaves. This sundew has a large range and occurs naturally throughout south-east Asia
, in southern China
and Japan
, Micronesia
, New Guinea
through to the eastern territories of Australia
and Tasmania
and New Zealand
. Variants are often known by the localities in which they are found. The plant does not form hibernacula
in winter, and is easily grown using the same methods as Drosera capensis.
Carnivorous plant growers consider D. spatulata to be a weed because it is very hardy and produces copious amounts of seed when it flowers. The seed also germinates without much difficulty, causing little plants to pop up in surrounding pots.
that produces small rosettes
of numerous spathulate
leaves. This species is widely variable, but generally plants are about 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter. Each leaf is attached to the central rosette by a narrow 8 mm long petiole
that is only glandular on the upper half. Individual leaf laminae
are typically 5 mm long and 4 mm wide. In early summer, plants will produce 8 cm (3.1 in) tall erect scapes
with around six small white flowers on each one-sided racemose
inflorescence
. Each flower can be up to 6 mm across.
in his 1804 publication Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
. In 1824, D. spatulata was included in a publication by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, but misprinted as Drosera spathulata, an incorrect spelling that is still common today. Since its original description, this species has been described under several other names, which have now been reduced to synonymy
. Two varieties have been described and are currently recognized, the first of which was described in 2005. Drosera spatulata var. gympiensis was described in 2005 by Robert Gibson and Ivan Snyder, who cited its consistently hairy sepal
s with no intergradation
with the typical D. spatulata form. In 2009 another variety, Drosera spatulata var. bakoensis, was described from Bako National Park
in Sarawak
, Borneo
.
Sundew
Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surface. The insects are used to supplement...
with spoon-shaped leaves. The specific epithet is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "spatula shaped," a reference to the form of the leaves. This sundew has a large range and occurs naturally throughout south-east Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, in southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
through to the eastern territories of 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...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Variants are often known by the localities in which they are found. The plant does not form hibernacula
Hibernaculum
Hibernaculum can refer to:* Hibernaculum , the location chosen by an animal for hibernation...
in winter, and is easily grown using the same methods as Drosera capensis.
Carnivorous plant growers consider D. spatulata to be a weed because it is very hardy and produces copious amounts of seed when it flowers. The seed also germinates without much difficulty, causing little plants to pop up in surrounding pots.
Description
Drosera spatulata is a variable 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 small rosettes
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:...
of numerous spathulate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
leaves. This species is widely variable, but generally plants are about 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter. Each leaf is attached to the central rosette by a narrow 8 mm long 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...
that is only glandular on the upper half. Individual leaf laminae
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....
are typically 5 mm long and 4 mm wide. In early summer, plants will produce 8 cm (3.1 in) tall erect scapes
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....
with around six small white flowers on each one-sided racemose
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...
. Each flower can be up to 6 mm across.
Taxonomy and botanical history
Drosera spatulata was first described by Jacques LabillardièreJacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
in his 1804 publication Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen is a two volume work describing the flora of Australia. The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillardière, who visited the region in 1792 with the d'Entrecasteaux expedition...
. In 1824, D. spatulata was included in a publication by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, but misprinted as Drosera spathulata, an incorrect spelling that is still common today. Since its original description, this species has been described under several other names, which have now been reduced to synonymy
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
. Two varieties have been described and are currently recognized, the first of which was described in 2005. Drosera spatulata var. gympiensis was described in 2005 by Robert Gibson and Ivan Snyder, who cited its consistently hairy 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 with no intergradation
Intergradation
In zoology, intergradation is the way in which two distinct subspecies are connected via areas where populations are found that have the characteristics of both...
with the typical D. spatulata form. In 2009 another variety, Drosera spatulata var. bakoensis, was described from Bako National Park
Bako National Park
Bako National Park, established in 1957, is the oldest national park in Sarawak, eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It covers an area of at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula at the mouth of the Bako and Kuching Rivers. It is approximately by road from Kuching...
in Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
Synonyms
- D. loureirii Hook. & Arn.
- D. lovellae F.M.Bail.
- D. minutula Col.
- D. propinqua Cunn.
- D. spatulata var. loureirii (Hook. & Arn.) Y.Z.Ruan
- D. triflora Col.
Cultivars
- Drosera 'Hong Kong' {D'Amato}
- Drosera 'Kanto' {D'Amato}
- Drosera 'Ruby Slippers' {W.J.Clemens}
- Drosera 'Tamlin' {W.Dawnstar}