''Drosera peltata'', commonly called the shield sundewSalmon, Bruce. 2001. ''Carnivorous Plants of New Zealand''. Ecosphere Publications. or pale sundew,Erickson, Rica. 1968. ''Plants of Prey in Australia''. Lamb Paterson Pty. Ltd.: Osborne Park, Western Australia. is a climbing or scrambling

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous species in the

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

genus ''

Drosera ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genus, genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucil ...

''. Among the tuberous sundews, ''D. peltata'' has the largest distribution, which includes eastern and western

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and most of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

including the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "shield shaped", a reference to the shape of the

cauline A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

leaves. It is either a single extremely variable species, or a

complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

of several closely related species of uncertain taxonomic boundaries. In Australia at least four forms have had or still have specific taxonomic recognition: ''Drosera peltata'' subsp. ''peltata'' (an

autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...

), ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'', ''D. foliosa'' (also as ''D. peltata var. foliosa'') and ''D. gracilis'' (also as ''D. peltata var. gracilis'').Tasmanian Herbarium
Flora of Tasmania Online, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
''Australian National Herbarium

'' Tuberous sundews are species of the genus ''Drosera'' that have evolved to live in summer drought conditions and

aestivate Aestivation ( (summer); also spelled estivation in American English) is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is characterized by inactivity and a lowered me ...

as a dormant underground tuber. While many tuberous sundews are ground-hugging rosettes, ''D. peltata'' is an upright species with a simple or branching

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

.D'Amato, Peter. 1998. '' The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants''. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, California. pp. 152-157.

Description

''Drosera peltata'' is a

tuberous

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

. Its underground tuber is generally found 4 – 6 cm under the soil surface, and its aerial parts range from 5 – 50 cm in height, with wide differentiation into several forms. The

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'' is often the most robust, reaching up to 50 cm in height, whereas the form known informally as ''D. foliosa'' tends to be the shortest, often only 5–10 cm.The Student's Flora of Tasmania. W.M. Curtis. 1967. St. David's Park Publishing, Hobart, Tasmania. Vol. 3, p. 536 ''Drosera peltata'' generally has an evident rosette of leaves at the soil surface, which is most pronounced in ''D. foliosa'' and in contrast often reduced to scales in mature plants of ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata''. The aerial stem is simple or slightly branched in the nominal form of ''D. peltata'', as well as in ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'', and the form informally known as ''D. gracilis''. Flowers are variable in color, but generally white or light pink. The colour of the plants is also highly variable, with ''D. foliosa'' generally bright grass green even when growing in direct sunlight, ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'' often tinged with variable amounts of red (or even solid red), and ''D. gracilis'' always orange or dark red colour.

Habitat and distribution

''Drosera peltata'' is commonly found growing on frost free open flats with light scrub, in areas of regenerating forest, on grassy verges and roadside cuttings. The soil type these plants are found in is mainly soft fine clay or

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

y, sand soils, which, while wet in winter, dry out over summer. This species has a large range and various forms occur naturally in southern, eastern and south-west

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

(in Northland) as well as south-east Asia and

Taxonomy

''Drosera peltata'' was first described by

Carl Peter Thunberg Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus ...

in 1797. Due to its large range and varied habit, ''D. peltata'' has accumulated a number of

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

and

infraspecific taxa In botany, an infraspecific name is the scientific name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecific taxon or infraspecies. The scientific names of botanical taxa are regulated by the ''International Code of Nomenclature for alg ...

, including

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and

. Most subspecies have been reduced to

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

, but the two

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

that are still considered valid are ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''peltata'', which is an

, and ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'', which was originally named by

James Backhouse :''See alsfor two other James Backhouse botanists and nursery owners of York.'' James Backhouse (8 July 1794 – 20 January 1869) was a botanist and missionary for the Quaker Church body, church in Australia. His son, also James Backhouse (bota ...

and formally described by

Jules Émile Planchon Jules Émile Planchon (21 March 1823 – 1 April 1888) was a French botanist born in Ganges, Hérault. He was a brother of Gustave Planchon who also studied medicinal plants. Biography After receiving his Doctorate of Science at the Universit ...

in 1848 as ''D. auriculata'' and later reduced to a subspecies of ''D. peltata'' by Barry John Conn in 1981.Schlauer, J. 2009
World Carnivorous Plant List - Nomenclatural Synopsis of Carnivorous Phanerogamous Plants
. Accessed online: 29 August 2009. Subspecies ''auriculata'' is still considered a valid and separate species by some authorities. The major difference between the subspecies involve seed shape and

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

pubescence Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's Human body, body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormone, hormonal signals from the Human brain, brain to the gonads: the ovary ...

. ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''peltata'' has

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

(egg-shaped) seeds and the sepals are hairy or pubescent, whereas ''D. peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'' has linear seeds and

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

sepals.Rice, Barry. 2009
The tuberous erect & scrambling ''Drosera''
The Carnivorous Plant FAQ. Accessed online: 2 September 2009. Although demoted to synonyms of ''D. peltata'' by

Marchant Marchant is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adio Marchant (born 1987), English singer and songwriter known professionally as Bipolar Sunshine * Alison Marchant, Australian politician * Cecil Marchant (1895–1965), English WW ...

Marchant NG, Aston HI, George AS (1982) Droseraceae. Flora of Australia 8, 9–66 in 1982, the formerly recognised species ''Drosera foliosa'' and ''Drosera gracilis'' are again treated as separate species by the Tasmanian Herbarium and the Australian Plant Name Index. ''Drosera foliosa'' differs from the nominal form of ''D. peltata'' in having a well-defined basal rosette of large, light green

lunate Lunate is a crescent or moon-shaped microlith. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped lithic flake, flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking. In the Natufian cu ...

leaves, and multi-branched shorter stems. By contrast the nominal form of ''D. peltata'' has a less prominent basal rosette, and a single stem. It is mostly restricted to

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

herbfield Herbfields are plant communities dominated by herbaceous plants, especially forbs and grasses. They are found where climatic conditions do not allow large woody plants to grow, such as in subantarctic and alpine tundra environments. Herbfield is ...

s and open

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

with grassy

understorey In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above ...

. ''Drosera gracilis'' is similar to the nominal form of ''D. peltata'' but smaller and with distinctly red stems and leaves. In

it is restricted to wet peaty areas, and unlike the winter and spring growers ''D. peltata'' and ''D. foliosa'', it grows in late spring and late into the summer.

Cultivation

''Drosera peltata'' is one of the easiest tuberous ''Drosera'' to cultivate, a characteristic that is attributed to its forgiving nature when it comes to water and temperature. The tuberous ''Drosera'' typically require wet, cool winters, which is their active growing season, and warmer, nearly bone-dry summers or the dormant tubers will rot. ''Drosera peltata'' can withstand wetter summers.

Gallery

Image:Drosera_peltata_basal_rosette.jpg, Typical form, basal rosette Image:Drosera hookeri George Town Tasmania.jpg, ''Drosera foliosa'' (''Drosera peltata'' var. ''foliosa'') growing in George Town, Tasmania, Australia Image:Drosera peltata var gracilis basal rosette.jpg, Basal rosette of ''Drosera gracilis'' (''Drosera peltata'' var. ''gracilis'') Image:Tall Sundew.jpg, ''Drosera peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'' Image:Drosera peltata ssp. auriculata.png, Close-up of ''Drosera peltata'' subsp. ''auriculata'' with captured insect.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q312196 Carnivorous plants of Asia Carnivorous plants of Australia Carnivorous plants of New Zealand Caryophyllales of Australia Eudicots of Western Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1797 peltata