The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Drosera auriculata

Etymology

Drosera: dewy
auriculata: small-eared

Common Name(s)

sundew

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Drosera auriculata Planch.

Family

Droseraceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

DROAUR

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Drosera circinervia Colenso, D. stylosa Colenso, Drosera peltata subsp. auriculata ( Planch. ) B.J.Conn

Distribution

Indigenous. North and South Islands to about south Canterbury, northern Otago and south Westland/ Present in Australia

Habitat

Coastal to montane, on recently exposed and naturally open ground, clay pans, in low scrub, on lava. Often abundant following fire.

Features

Tuberous herb. Plants usually olive-green in exposed locations, rarely richly maroon; tuber ovoid to globose, up to 10 × 8 mm; surface white to red, often in a papery sheath; vertical stolon 20–80 mm long. Stem erect, usually simple, sometimes shortly branched, 90–600 mm long, glabrous. Leaves often in a flat basal rosette and cauline; basal leaves 4–19, the lamina ovate, elliptic, orbicular or reniform, 1.8–3.5 × 2–6 mm wide on a linear petiole 5.0–17.0 × 1.2 mm wide; 9–36 cauline leaves alternate, the lamina crescentic, 1.5–5.5 × 2.0–5.5 mm, with acute angles, on petiole 3–23 mm long. Inflorescence a 1-sided raceme 2–14-flowered; peduncle usually 6–50 mm long, but up to 80 mm; pedicels 1–14 mm long. Sepals 2.0–6.0 × 0.9–2.6 mm, ovate, elliptic and rarely obovate, glabrous with an entire to irregularly serrulate margin. Petals 3.0–10.0 × 1.5–5 mm, white or pink, obovate, cuneate, apex emarginate, sometimes obtuse and rarely truncate. Styles 3, 0.6–1.4 mm long, divided into a total of c.15–30 cylindrical segments. Seeds 0.8–1.6 mm long, cylindrical with a shallowly reticulated surface.

Similar Taxa

Drosera auriculata could only be confused only with D. hookeri, with which it often grows in Northland and from which it differs by the glabrous rather than hairy sepals and cylindrical rather than ovoid to arachniform (i.e. peanut-shaped) shallowly reticulated seeds (rather than deeply pitted seeds) which are > 1 mm long, rather than 0.5-8.0 mm long. Sometimes the seeds of Drosera hookeri can be cylindrical, and so a little like those of D. auriculata, but in these cases they can be distinguished from D. auriculata by their smaller size and deeply pitted testa.

Flowering

September - February

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,Violet / Purple

Fruiting

October - April

Propagation Technique

Can be grown in pots from seed or from the small overwintering bulbils. Quite easily grown in this way. In suitable conditions it can naturalise itself.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 32

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 11 Aug 2014