Australian Sundew

Herbs perennial, with 1 or 2 black, fibrous roots. Stem short, sometimes to 0.5 cm when growing in Sphagnum moss, forming a tightly rosulate bulb during winter in temperate climates, not forming a tuber below ground. Leaves forming a dense, flat rosette, circinately 1-folded toward stipule when young; stipule light red, narrow, 4-8 mm, scarious, apex fimbriate, setaceous; petiole flattened, gradually dilated distally, 8-10 mm, glandular hairy; leaf blade obovate, spatulate, or cuneate, 0.9-2.8 cm × 2-5 mm, glandular hairy. Inflorescences 1-6, scapiform, sometimes branched, 4-25 cm; peduncle densely glandular hairy; racemes 1-sided, 10-20-flowered; bracts subulate to linear-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm or more, 3-parted; pedicels 0.5-3 mm. Sepals 5, united at base, green, lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 1.5-4 mm, margin entire or l-toothed, densely glandular hairy abaxially. Petals white or pink to reddish violet, obovate, 2-6 mm or more. Stamens 5, 2.5-6 mm; filaments flat, ca. 5 mm; anthers oblong, ca. 1.5 mm. Ovary ellipsoid-globose; placentas 3(or 4); styles 3(or 4), ca. 2.5 mm, each style deeply 2-parted to base, sometimes again parted distally; stigma simple, persistent. Capsule 3(or 4)-valved, ca. 1.5 mm; valves obdeltoid, incurved. Seeds black, ovoid or ellipsoid, small; venation thick and scrobiculate. Fl. and fr. Mar-Sep. 2n = 20, 40, 60.

Sunny wet newly cut roadside slopes, meadows, bogs. C and W Fujian, Guangdong, S Guangxi, Taiwan [S Japan, W Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines; E Australia (including Tasmania), Pacific Islands (New Zealand)].

Drosera loureiroi Hooker & Arnott; D. spathulata var. loureiroi (Hooker & Arnott) Y. Z. Ruan.