tuberous-drosera.net --- home for tuberous drosera

 

Drosera hookeri

D. hookeri is an erect species forming a basal rosette well before one or two erect stems emerge. This species usually reaches 4-8 cm in height. The colour of stem and leaves is typically a bright yellow-green.
The tubers are white to red. The sepals are glandular and have distinctive fimbriate margins and the seeds are mostly ovioid and less than 1 mm in size (in contrast to D. auriculata). According to Gibson et al, some inland forms have nearly or fully glabrous sepals as known for D. auriculata but still the fimbriate margins typical for D. hookeri. In contrast, Lowrie describes the sepals as glandular and the margins as entire. The flowers are white but a pink-petalled form was also mentioned by Gibson at al.

More details on this species can be found Allen Lowrie's Magnum Opus as well as in the recent review of the D. peltata complex species by Gibson, Conn and Bruhl: Austral. Syst. Bot. 25 (1): 75. 2012
There will be certainly more discussion on the rank of different taxa within the peltata complex and on their specific features. For instance, the plant I grow a D. peltata complex taxon from somewhere near Canberra which fits Allen Lowrie's description for D. hookeri with the exception that I easily reaches 15 cm in height. For conparison, Gibson et al describe D. hookeri as reaching up to 38 cm in height.

Specific features according to Lowrie: "D. hookeri is distinguished from all its relatives in the D. peltata complex by its robust, bright green foliage, 1-2 or more erect (often branching) major axes, rising 4-9 cm in height from a well-developed basal rosette."
Specific features according to Gibson at al: "Tuberous herb, often bright yellow-green in colour;(...) Sepals (...) usually moderately to densely hairy (...), but can also be glabrous; always with a fimbriate margin with hairs up to 1.3mm long. (...) Seeds (...) with a deeply pitted surface."

I will try to add more pictures taken from my plants on the specific features described above soon.



tubers

Grampians form

Tubers of the Lysterfield form.

This form from the Grampians National Park reaches just something between 5 and 10 cm.

 

 

rosetted growth

rosetted growth

D. hookeri always forms a basal rosette before one or more stems emerge from the center of the rosette. The leaves are always bright green.

 

 

flower Lysterfield form

flower Lysterfield form

Flowers of the Lysterfield form.

 

 


 

Please respect that all texts and photos were created by me and may not be used without my permission.