''Drosera hookeri'', the grassland sundew is an shortly erect

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

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 Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryot ...

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 ...

''. ''Drosera hookeri'' is found in south-eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Although the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

was collected in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, its distribution also includes

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. This species has a complex taxonomic history, and its

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 ...

acknowledges the original recognition of the taxon by

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

. Hooker originally called his species ''Drosera foliosa'' Hook.f. ex Planch. in 1848, a name that was

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

as it had previously been used to describe a different species (''Drosera foliosa'' Elliott 1824). The nomenclature of ''D. hookeri'' was later clarified and the taxonomic concept significantly broadened to include most of the south-eastern Australian and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

forms of the

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

that includes ''

Drosera peltata ''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, ...

''. Like other

sundews, ''D. hookeri''

aestivate Aestivation ( la, aestas (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 ...

s as an underground tuber to survive summer drought.

Description

''Drosera hookeri'' is a

tuberous

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 ...

. Its underground tuber is white and generally found 2 – 5 cm under the soil surface. Its aerial parts range from 5 – 10 cm in height, normally yellow-green to distinctly yellow in colour. ''Drosera hookeri'' has a well-developed rosette of lunate to semi-orbicular leaves at the soil surface, as well as lunate cauline leaves. The aerial stem is normally branched multiple times from the base of the plant. Flowers are white, and can appear very close to the basal leaf rosette. The seeds are black and cylindrical.

Habitat and distribution

''Drosera hookeri'' is typically a plant of winter-wet, summer-dry

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...

and grassy woodlands. It frequently co-occurs with other species in the ''D. peltata'' complex.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21257809 Carnivorous plants of Australia Carnivorous plants of New Zealand Caryophyllales of Australia Flora of South Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Australian Capital Territory Flora of Victoria (state) Flora of Tasmania Plants described in 1848 Taxa named by Barry John Conn hookeri

Description

Habitat and distribution

See also

References