Drosera whittakeri

Drosera whittakeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Droseraceae
Genus: Drosera
Subgenus: Ergaleium
Section: Erythrorhiza
Species: D. whittakeri
Binomial name
Drosera whittakeri
Planch.

Drosera whittakeri (scented sundew, Whittaker's sundew) is a sundew that is native to South Australia.[1]

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.[1] Up to 20 white flowers are produced overall, with multiple flowers open at any one time.[1] The main flowering period is May to November in its native range, but flowers may appear throughout the year.[2]

Taxonomy

The species was formally described by Jules Émile Planchon in Annales des Sciences Naturelles in 1848 as Drosera "Whittakerii".[3] The species was named after Derbyshire botanist Joseph Whittaker who collected some 300 plant specimens from Adelaide and the southern Mount Lofty Ranges to Encounter Bay between 1839–1840.[1]:163 Two subspecies are recognised by some authorities:[3]

In 2008, Allen Lowrie and John G. Conran elevated the former to species status, as Drosera aberrans. The authors also argue that Drosera praefolia should be considered a distinct species, rather than a synonym of D. whittakeri.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lowrie, A. & J.G. Conran 2008. A review of Drosera whittakeri s. lat. (Droseraceae) and description of a new species from Kangaroo Island, South Australia. PDF Telopea 12(2): 147–165.
  2. "Drosera whittakeri Planch.". Electronic Flora of South Australia Fact Sheet. State Herbarium of South Australia.
  3. 1 2 "Drosera whittakeri". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2008-03-27.

External links

Media related to Drosera whittakeri at Wikimedia Commons

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