''Drosera stenopetala'' is an
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores were ...
,
rosette-forming
perennial sub-alpine or alpine
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
. The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
means "with narrow petals",
[A.F. Mark and Nancy M. Adams, ''"New Zealand Alpine Plants"'', Reed, 1973] which is somewhat misleading given that the petals of this plant are fairly wide.
A species of
sundew, it is unique within its genus in being
endemic to
New Zealand.
It is one of New Zealand's two alpine species of ''Drosera'', the other being ''
Drosera arcturi
''Drosera arcturi'' is a perennial, insectivorous species of sub-alpine or alpine herb native to Australia and New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's two alpine species of sundew, the other being '' Drosera stenopetala''. The specific epith ...
''. Characteristic features include involute (inwardly curved)
petioles and upright leaves. Its range extends from the
Ruahine
The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the cen ...
and
Tararua Ranges in the north down the
Southern Alps to
Stewart Island
Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...
. It is also found on the
Auckland Islands and
Campbell Island.
[Bruce Salmon (2001). ''Carnivorous Plants of New Zealand''. Ecosphere Publications.]
See also
*
Carnivorous plants of New Zealand
References
External links
NZ Carnivorous plants society website page about this species NZ Plant Conservation network page about this species
Carnivorous plants of New Zealand
stenopetala
Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker
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