What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Need ID!

DavyJones

Is ready to take this hobby to a whole new level
Hi guys, I found this little dude growing in a recently acquired pot of 'Giant Staghorn Sundew.' Is this little hitchhiker merely spawn of this plant, or something else? I'm assuming forms of D. Binata start off with the normal round shaped leaves while young, but maybe I received a gift when I got this!
 
looks like either a D. spatulata or D. capillaris, to me.
 
I second CPlantaholic.
 
Hmm... I think D. spatulata would look different, with more evenly curved leaves.

It looks a bit like D. dielsiana. I've heard those are common weeds in large, commercial cp nurseries.

D. dielsiana colors can be very variable.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Definitely Drosera regia.

Haha, but seriously, I think it is D. spatulata.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
it's definately not D. binata!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Looks a bit like D. burmannii.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I note the larger plant bifurcates at the top. This is Drosera binata. Also the name as written in single quotes suggests this is a published cultivar (thats what the single quote mark means) but it is not a legitimate name since it has never been published. So it's just Drosera binata (assuming you wish to be botanicaly correct in your naming).

The smaller plant has no discernable taxonomic features in this photo, therefore it is Drosera roundandstickyum. Can you get a larger photo of the rosette?
 
I always knew proper names were not my forte. I used single quotation marks because they are what I usually use for double quotation marks, and was not trying to make a statement otherwise. Sometimes I wish somebody had a guide for how all this naming stuff works, with crosses and cultivars, etc. The plant is officially listed as D. binata ssp. dichotoma.

As per request, here is a more recent, larger photo of D. roundandstickyum. Like I said before, I'm not sure what a young D. binata looks like, and have hence assumed that it is as such. I just thought it would be a good brain teaser for some people on here.
 
  • #10
Oops, double post.
 
  • #11
A young D. binata leaf is crescent-shaped.
 
  • #12
Hmmm, still hard for me to tell but thanks for the larger photo. Could be either Drosera spatulata, D. capillaris, or D. dielsiana, all fairly common hitchikers.

Nomenclature is all about rules. There is an academic institution is Germany that has been keeping track of these rules and names since Linnaeus' time. You have to have a sort of stuffy fussy personality to really even care, but if you do here is the low down, and anyone who sees an error here please pipe up.

The simple rules are a plant is named with a binomial: literally 2 names. The first name is the genus to which the plant is placed, and is always capitalized. The second part is the species name and is never capitalized. the terms var. for varities or ssp. for subspecies are likewise never capitalized. The entire name should be in italics and underlined but conventionally this is overlooked, and the publishing author's name should also appear in brackets - commonly ommited as well. When writing of a particular genus, the first usage should contain the full genus name spelled out (so not Spatulata, rather Drosera spatulata), and subsequent usages may be abbreviated (D. spatulata). Latinizations must be used for all legitimately published protolouge names , must follow the original published spelling even if in error, in perpetuity. That's why Nepenthes spathulata is correct, but Drosera spathulata is not) These Latin names never have quotes. Names change with time as new researchers reevaluate prior publications, but the old names must be conserved as well, forever. To find valid current names go to the ICPS CP database and use the search engine there.

The same institution that regulates the use of scientific names also controls and conserves cultivar names, a recent addition. These names commonly begin with the genus name capitalized, then the cultivar name as published surrounded by single quotes. Only validly published cultivars may use single quotes. Latinizations may NOT be used. For example Drosera 'Tamlinosa' was rejected by Dr. Schlauer who oversees these matters because -osa is a Latin subfix. So it is Drosera 'Tamlin' because of this. Publication is the keynote to validity, and without it other names are called 'bogus' meaning they have no botanical validity. If growers distribute material with other names like Drosera capensis "Pygmy" the double quotes implies this is a made up name. It's still bogus, but because it may be communicative they are still used, but it isn't proper and they are bogus until publication in a non electronic medium at cultivar rank. Common usage does not grant validity, no matter how often used.

Opinions can vary between taxonomists. Currently Dr. Schlauer has the determination of Drosera binata. Last time I checked, there are no subspecies, varieties or cultivars. There is no D. dichotoma, because the author did not demonstrate sufficient differentiation in his protolouge to pass review, so it remains Drosera binata even if it looks totally different from that species. This happens fairly often. So even though it was once legitimately published, and hence the name is valid, the use of the name is obsolete and incorrect until further research may restore it. Another illustration: Drosera venusta coccicaulis is invalid even though it was published because the author failed to meet other criteria in the process, so the name is not valid on that score, and should not be used. It can't be published with that name as a cultivar because the species name is a Latinization, so how do I send it to another grower? Drosera "coccicaulis", and those double quotes should alert anyone it is not botanicaly valid.

Finally, common names are frowned upon as well, like the Purple Pitcher Plant because they are unpublished and often regional. I advocate for their preservation as well, since the names may be communicative, but feel they should always be used in conjunction with the binomial.

That's the lesson in a nutshell, and thanks for the opportunity to present this to all. We all want to appear intelligent and current. Also by convention corrections should be accepted in good grace since ignorance is no sin or crime, and made without fear of being seen as a know-it-all stuffed shirt. We're all responsible for each others education.

Cheers!
 
Back
Top