Re: Jan's Drosera Dichotomous Key

dave evans (T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU)
Tue, 22 Oct 96 18:27 EDT

> From: Fernando Rivadavia <ss69615@ECC-XS09.HONGO.ECC.U-TOKYO.AC.JP>

Hi Fernando,

I don't have anywhere the experience with Drosera that you or Jan do
but I'd like add a bit in here for two plants I am familiar with.

> 5.) As to the inclusion of D.brevifolia, D.uniflora, + D.trinervia
> in sect.Ptycnostygma, you'd already mentioned this to me in the beginning
> of the year and I still find it a bit hard to swallow. D.uniflora and
> D.trinervia both look a bit odd in this group, but I don't know enough on
> them to argue with you. D.brevifolia is a delicate annual which I find
> hard to be closely related to something as large and magnificent as
> D.cistiflora and D.pauciflora. And as I've mentioned before, it is VERY
> similar to type D.montana in the juvenile stage. The fact that type
> D.montana and several other Brazilian Drosera have been observed to go
> dormant as roots during the dry season may show a link between sections
> Oosperma and Ptycnostygma, maybe indicating that they could be united into
> a single section. A bit confusing at the moment.

Ok, D.brevifolia is not an annaul! Everyone has told me so yet
my plants are now two years old. Not a one has died and yes I
allowed them to flower a set seed this year. They survive the
drier seasons by giving up their rosettes and only the roots
remain. Perhaps a bit of the stem lives too but this isn't
needed for the plants' survival as I have had no trouble producing
numerous rosettes from root cuttings. Infact, these plants remind
me of D.hamiltonii since their roots are so much larger than
what it seems the rosettes should need.

> 6.) What do you mean by calling D.capillaris a "collective
> species"? Is it as complicated a taxa as D.spatulata, D.montana, and
> D.leucoblasta?

Yes, there are many forms of this plant. Very resently, I began
to think of D.capillaris as N. America's D.spatulata.

Thanks for bringing this to the list.

Dave Evans