D.coccicaulis

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Wed, 21 Feb 1996 10:28:40 -0700

>Has anyone ever heard of Drosera coccicaulis? I recently
>purchased a plant from "California Carnivores" marked D. coccicaulis. I
>have not been able to find any literature on this particular sundew any
>place. It is not listed in the CP Database either.

John,

Yes, I've heard of ``D.coccicaulis.'' It first came to my attention
several years ago in one of Allen Lowrie's seed lists. I bought some,
found it a ready germinator, and was pleased with it. It is, however,
not a valid botanical name. Clearly some silly person thought it would
be great fun to invalidly stick a bogus name on a plant. By now, many
people have become confused. By my best attempts at identification
(and Jan's help) it seems the best guess is a vigorous variety of
_D.natalensis_. The identification is relatively straightforward. The
second runner-up is possibly _D.dielsiana_, but I think _D.natalensis_
is more likely.

This plant and the confusion the name has caused is an excellent example
of why people should not foolishly create bogus names for plants.

Especially irritating is the name, ``coccicaulis'', is absurd. Berry-like
stem is the best I can make of it.

Barry