Re: strange pygmy Drosera

From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Date: Mon Feb 09 1998 - 08:57:46 PST


Date:          Mon, 9 Feb 1998 08:57:46 
From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg513$foo@default>
Subject:       Re: strange pygmy Drosera

Dear Derek,

> it had five petals, it had a deep maroon-red center, it had four deeply
> red-maroon sickle-shaped stigmas.

The petals ought to be four and pure white. The styles must be club-
shaped in _D. pygmaea_.

> In fact, the flower looks very much
> like the photo of the "rare red-centered white flower" form of D.pulchella
> from Lowrie's Vol.2 except with only four stigmas and they were as deep
> red as the center of the flower.

So it is quite possible that you have just this plus a wrong lable.

> I'm almost sure it must have some D.pygmaea in it
> because the inflorescences are relatively short and single-flowered in
> every single case. (There are at least 20 plants in this one small pot
> and they're all flowering right now)

Too weak evidence IMHO.

> Is this some hybrid that's not in
> Lowrie's book but is relatively common (I bought it at a plant sale -
> it's not likely to be an extremely rare one-of-a-kind anything)

It is not very probable that there are any (natural) hybrids of _D.
pygmaea_, because the species does not occur together with any other
Bryastrum. There are rumours that _D. pygmaea_ was found also in W
Australia, but I have not seen any good evidence so far, so I would
rather expect that these plants were just unusual forms of _D.
occidentalis_.

> or does D.pygmaea occasionally have D.pulchella-like flowers?

No. And it has not been recorded to have five petals (not even
occasionally) yet.

> I took a few pictures of it and as soon as I get that film developed, I'll
> scan them in if there is any interest or curiosity.

Please do so. TNX.

Kind regards
Jan



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