Drosera derbyensis
About
A perennial carnivorous plant notable for its rosette growth habit and distinctive white woolly hairs covering its petioles and scapes. *Drosera derbyensis* is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant forms rosettes with narrowly oblanceolate petioles, which are 0.8–1.0 mm wide at the base and 1.3–1.7 mm wide at the apex. The insect-trapping leaf lamina is orbicular and small, measuring only 2–3 mm in diameter. Each rosette produces 1–4 raceme inflorescences, which can reach 25–35 cm long and bear 30–50 white flowers.
Distribution & habitat
Western Australia, specifically in sandy soils in floodways or near rock outcrops from Derby to Beverley Springs in the Kimberley region.
Ecology
The plant is carnivorous, utilizing insect-trapping glands on the leaf lamina. The white woolly hairs covering the leaves are assumed to be an adaptation to avoid desiccation during the dry season.
Cultivation notes
The species is known to thrive in heated water.
History & etymology
It was first described by Allen Lowrie in 1996. The specific epithet derbyensis refers to the region where the plant occurs.
Conservation
Assessed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Australia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate