Jan,
I was dealing with post-anthesis, slightly wilted material (disclaimer!),
but it appeared that the bifurcation in the 6 tips of the style-stigmas was
restricted to the purplish ends (which I interpreted as the stigmas), and did
not involve the styles. It appeared to me that there were three styles, each
split at the base into six linear, white, style branches. At the tip of each
of the six style branches was a purple bifurcated stigma.
The petals are indeed purplish, and if I recall from good flowers last
summer, strongly reflexed.
Being seasoned with Utricularia, I am familiar with variable species.
I gather that style-stigma morphology is the important characteristic
in keying out these species? Do you have any suggestions for a work in these
S. African Drosera I can look at?
>Nepenthes surely shows up somewhere, if not as a plant then as a
>reference to an amnesia producing potion. Poe mentions it in "The Raven."
The nepenthe that Poe refers to is of course the potion. A quick look at
my copy of BREWERS DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE lists
Nepenthe or Nepenthes (Gr. ne, not: penthos, grief). An Egyption
drug mentioned in the ODYSSEY (IV,228) that was fabled to drive
away care and make people forget their woes. Polydamna, wife
Thonis, King of Egypt, gave it to Helen.
Of course, the genus Nepenthes was first introduced to westerners in the
discovery of N. madagascariensis (I believe) much later. So the plant was
named after fable, and not the other way around. I'm not sure, but I think
it is pretty obvious why a plant bearing jugs of liquid was named after an
old potion.
B