Drosera Sect. Stolonifera

''Drosera'' sect. ''Stolonifera'' is a section of ten tuberous perennial species in the genus ''Drosera'' that are endemic to south-west Western Australia. The species all have a similar growth habit and all have fan-shaped leaves, but the morphological differences and lack of natural hybrids support the division of the '' D. stolonifera'' species complex.

Taxonomy

The first species in the section was discovered by Charles von Hügel in the Swan River region in 1833. ''D. stolonifera'' was formally described by Stephan Endlicher in 1837. Johann Georg Christian Lehmann followed that with two more species in 1844: '' D. ramellosa'' and '' D. porrecta''. In 1848, Jules Émile Planchon organized these three species under section '' Ergaleium'' series ''Erythrorhizae'' subseries ''Stoloniferae'' (initially spelled ''Stolmiferae''). Planchon also added the species '' D. humilis'' and ''D. penduliflora'' (later reduced to synonymy under ''D. ramellosa'') to the new subseries. '' D. platypoda'' was added in 1854 by Nicolai Stepanovitch Turczaninow and '' D. purpurascens'', described by August Friedrich Schlotthauber followed in 1856. In 1864, George Bentham reorganized the species under section ''Ergaleium'', recognized fewer taxa, and suggested the reclassification of ''D. humilis'' as a variety of ''D. stolonifera''. In 1906, Ludwig Diels took Bentham's suggestion and reduced ''D. humilis'' to the variety rank. In Diels' monograph of the family, he reorganized the species in this section into subgenus '' Ergaleium'' section ''Erythrorhiza''.

The next new member of the section came when Larry Eugene DeBuhr described '' D. fimbriata'' in 1975. Two years later DeBuhr re-evaluated the classification of subgenus ''Ergaleium'' and established the current three sections and also formally established the current section ''Stolonifera'', which was based on Planchon's subseries ''Stoloniferae''. At this point, section ''Stolonifera'' contained four species: ''D. fimbriata'', ''D. platypoda'', ''D. ramellosa'', and ''D. stolonifera''.

In 1982, N. G. Marchant's treatment of the section included DeBuhr's four species but also four subspecies of ''D. stolonifera''. Subsequent publications identified three additional subspecies of ''D. stolonifera'', two of which were new taxa. Allen Lowrie, one of the coauthors of some of those subspecies, elevated all of the ''D. stolonifera'' subspecies to species rank, bringing the total number of species in the section to ten. In his 2005 revision of the section, however, he neglected to include a full basionym citation when elevating ''D. stolonifera'' subsp. ''monticola'' to ''D. monticola'', thus rendering the new species name invalid due to Article 33.4 of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Therefore, the section then had nine species with two accepted subspecies of ''D. stolonifera'', which includes the autonym ''D. stolonifera'' subsp. ''stolonifera''. Lowrie corrected this error in a short note in the 2011 volume of the journal ''Nuytsia'' where he provided the correct page number for the basionym and finally validated the name ''Drosera monticola'', bringing the total number of species to ten.

Species

*''Drosera fimbriata'' DeBuhr
*''Drosera humilis'' Planch.
*'' Drosera monticola'' (Lowrie & N.G.Marchant) Lowrie
*''Drosera platypoda'' Turcz.
*''Drosera porrecta'' Lehm.
*''Drosera prostrata'' (N.G.Marchant & Lowrie) Lowrie
*'' Drosera purpurascens'' Schlotth.
*'' Drosera ramellosa'' Lehm.
*''Drosera rupicola'' (N.G.Marchant) Lowrie
*''Drosera stolonifera'' Endl.

See also

* List of ''Drosera'' species

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5308547

Carnivorous plants of Australia
Caryophyllales of Australia
sect. Stolonifera
Eudicots of Western Australia
Plant sections