Re: Pygmy Drosera

John Taylor [The Banshee] (rphjt@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU)
Tue, 14 Sep 93 17:10:59 +0000

>>What happens when you try to key this plant using Lowrie or
>>Erickson? (The latter is out of date, of course)
>
>I have 'Plants of Prey' by Erickson and I've been meaning to buy Lowrie's book
>for some time. I can't get a good look at the plant's stipules to use
>Erickson's key. I don't see how it can be done without disecting the plant to
>expose the stipules in the center. It seems like there's twice the number of
>pygmy Drosera species now than was described in Erickson's book.

I can't remember exactly, but isn't it easy to simply pull out stipules with
a pair of tweezers? (In fact, don't you get stipules attached to the base of
each leaf?) I'm positive that disection of pygmies isn't necessary to get
stipules for IDing. (Low power microscopes come in handy for this...)

>... Both these pygmies are weedy and
>I've found both, especially D. pygmaea growing with other plants. I didn't
>notice the unidentified pygmy until this year.

Tell me about it... Though, it must be said that they aren't half as bad a
weed as Utrics. At least they can be pulled out of unwanted pots with little
chance or regeneration.

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| John Taylor [The Banshee] | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| rphjt@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au | Department of Applied Physics |
| MOKING IS A HEALTH HAZARD. | Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA |
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