Drosera whittakeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Droseraceae
Genus: Drosera
Subgenus: Drosera subg. Ergaleium
Section: Drosera sect. Erythrorhiza
Species:
D. whittakeri
Binomial name
Drosera whittakeri

Drosera whittakeri (scented sundew, Whittaker's sundew) is a sundew that is native to South Australia and Victoria.[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 and 1840.[1]: 163  Two subspecies are recognised by some authorities:[3]

  • Drosera whittakeri subsp. aberrans Lowrie & Carlquist
  • Drosera whittakeri Planch. subsp. whittakeri

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). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-04. Telopea 12(2): 147–165.
  2. ↑ "Drosera whittakeri Planch". Electronic Flora of South Australia Fact Sheet. State Herbarium of South Australia. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  3. 1 2 "Drosera whittakeri". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2008-03-27.

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