| Revision as of 16:41, 26 April 2006 editBrya (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,919 edits debunking← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:05, 26 April 2006 edit undoRobbie Cook (talk | contribs)64 editsm Corrected spelling mistakes. Changed "These consists of a knot..." to "These consist of a knot...". Also, changed "absorbtion" to "absorption".Next edit → | ||
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| ''Drosera anglica'' is a ] herb which forms an upright, stemless ] of generally ] leaves. As is typical for ]s, the laminas are densely covered with stalked mucilagenous glands, each tipped with a clear droplet of a viscous fluid used for trapping insects. The laminas, which is 15-35 mm long,<ref name="jepson1993">{{cite book | author=Regents of the University of California | title=The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California | publisher=University of California Press | location=Berkley, California | year=1993 | url=http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3427,3428,3429 }}</ref> is held semi-erect by a long petiole, bringing the total leaf size to 30-95 mm. Plants are green, coloring red in bright light. In all populations except those in ], ''D. anglica'' forms winter resting buds called ]. These consists of a knot of tightly curled leaves at ground level, which unfurl in spring at the end of the ] period. The root system is weak and penetrates only a few centimeters, serving mainly as an anchor and for water |
''Drosera anglica'' is a ] herb which forms an upright, stemless ] of generally ] leaves. As is typical for ]s, the laminas are densely covered with stalked mucilagenous glands, each tipped with a clear droplet of a viscous fluid used for trapping insects. The laminas, which is 15-35 mm long,<ref name="jepson1993">{{cite book | author=Regents of the University of California | title=The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California | publisher=University of California Press | location=Berkley, California | year=1993 | url=http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3427,3428,3429 }}</ref> is held semi-erect by a long petiole, bringing the total leaf size to 30-95 mm. Plants are green, coloring red in bright light. In all populations except those in ], ''D. anglica'' forms winter resting buds called ]. These consists of a knot of tightly curled leaves at ground level, which unfurl in spring at the end of the ] period. The root system is weak and penetrates only a few centimeters, serving mainly as an anchor and for water absorption. | ||
| ''D. anglica'' flowers in the summer, sending up ] 6-18 ] long bearing several white flowers which open individually. As is typical for ], the flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The petals for this species are 8-12 mm long, and the flowers have branched 2-lobed styles.<ref name="jepson1993" /> The black ovoid seed forms in a dehiscent capsule and is 1-1.5 mm. long. | ''D. anglica'' flowers in the summer, sending up ] 6-18 ] long bearing several white flowers which open individually. As is typical for ], the flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The petals for this species are 8-12 mm long, and the flowers have branched 2-lobed styles.<ref name="jepson1993" /> The black ovoid seed forms in a dehiscent capsule and is 1-1.5 mm. long. | ||
Revision as of 17:05, 26 April 2006
| Drosera anglica | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Droseraceae |
| Genus: | Drosera |
| Species: | D. anglica |
| Binomial name | |
| Drosera anglica Huds. | |
Drosera anglica (aka Drosera ×anglica, syn. Drosera longifolia L., English sundew, Great sundew) is an insectivorous plant species belonging to the sundew genus. It is thought to originate from an amphiploid hybrid of Drosera rotundifolia and Drosera linearis.
Morphology
Drosera anglica is a perennial herb which forms an upright, stemless rosette of generally linear-spatulate leaves. As is typical for sundews, the laminas are densely covered with stalked mucilagenous glands, each tipped with a clear droplet of a viscous fluid used for trapping insects. The laminas, which is 15-35 mm long, is held semi-erect by a long petiole, bringing the total leaf size to 30-95 mm. Plants are green, coloring red in bright light. In all populations except those in Kaua'i, D. anglica forms winter resting buds called hibernacula. These consists of a knot of tightly curled leaves at ground level, which unfurl in spring at the end of the dormancy period. The root system is weak and penetrates only a few centimeters, serving mainly as an anchor and for water absorption.
D. anglica flowers in the summer, sending up peduncles 6-18 cm. long bearing several white flowers which open individually. As is typical for sundews, the flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The petals for this species are 8-12 mm long, and the flowers have branched 2-lobed styles. The black ovoid seed forms in a dehiscent capsule and is 1-1.5 mm. long.
Carnivory
Like all sundews, D. anglica uses stalked mucilagenous glands called tentacles which cover its laminas to attract, trap, and digest small arthropods, usually insects. These are attracted by a sugary scent exuded by the glands, and upon alighting on the plant adhere to the sticky drops of mucilage. Although most of its prey consists of small insects such as flies, bulkier insects with large wings are also often caught. Small butterflies, damselflies, and even dragonflies can become immobilized by the plant's sticky mucilage.
The plant's initial response to contact with prey consists of thigmotropic tentacle movement, with tentacles bending toward the prey and the center of the leaf to maximize contact. D. anglica is also capable of further movement, being able to bend the actual leaf blade around prey to further the digestion process. Tentacle movement can occur in a matter of minutes, whereas the leaf takes hours or days to bend. When something gets caught, the tentacles touching the prey exude additional mucilage to mire down the prey, which eventually dies of exhaustion or is asphyxiated as the mucilage clogs its tracheas. Once the prey has been digested and the resulting nutrient solution has been absorbed by the plant, the leaf unfurls, leaving only the prey's exoskeleton behind.
Habitat
D. anglica grows in open, non-forested habitat with wet, often calcium-rich soils. These include bogs, marl fens, quaking bogs, cobble shores, and other calcareous habitats. This tolerance of calcium is relatively rare in the genus. Drosera anglica is often associated with various sphagnum mosses, and many times grows in a soil substrate that is entirely composed of living, dead, or decomposed sphagnum. The sphagnum wicks moisture to the surface while simultaneously acidifying it. What soil nutrients are not seeped away by the constant moisture are often used up by the sphagnum or made unavailable by the low soil pH. Since nutrient availability is low, competition from other plants is diminished, allowing the carnivorous English sundew to flourish.
Distribution
D. anglica is one of the most widely distributed sundews in the world. It is generally circumboreal, meaning that it is found at high latitudes around the globe. In a few areas, however, it is found farther south, particularly in Japan, southern Europe, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, and California. Plants from the Hawaiian population are generally smaller than normal and do not experience a winter dormancy period. Its natural habitat includes 12 U.S. states, including Alaska, and 11 Canadian provinces. The altitudinal range is from 5 m. to at least 2000 m.
Special origins
All North American Drosera species have a chromosome count of 2n=20 except for Drosera anglica, which has a chromosome count of 2n=40 as noted, in 1955, by Wood noted: he hypothesized that it was of hybrid amphiploid origin. Wood conjectured that it originated from a hybrid between Drosera rotundifolia and Drosera linearis. These two species occur sympatrically in several locations, and the leaf morphology of Drosera anglica is intermediary between these two. If it is taken to be a hybrid its name may be written as Drosera ×anglica (without change of authorship or year of publication) to reflect its hybrid status.
All North American Drosera species produce sterile hybrids. Errors in meiosis during ovule and pollen production, however, can result in a chromosome doubling which can allow for viable seed to be produced. The resulting plants, known as amphiploids, would be fertile. The question remains as to why D. anglica is so widespread, whereas the range of Drosera linearis is limited to the Great Lakes region of North America. The greater adaptability of D. anglica to varied habitat conditions could be a major factor.
Gallery
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A dense carpet of flowering D. anglica on a quaking bog
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Tropical form from Kaua'i, Hawaii
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D. anglica with a leaf bent around a fly
Citations
- ^ Schnell, Donald (1999). "Drosera anglica Huds. vs. Drosera x anglica: What is the Difference?". Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. 28: 107–115.
- ^ Regents of the University of California (1993). The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. Berkley, California: University of California Press.
- ^ Penskar, M.R. and Higman, P.J. (1999). Special Plant Abstract for Drosera anglica (English sundew) (PDF). Lansing, Michigan: Michigan Natural Resources Inventory.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life, Version 4.7.; NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. (Accessed: April 22, 2006 ).
- Averis, Ben and Alison (1998). Vegetational Survey of Deer-Fenced Area South-West of Sandwood Loch, Sutherland, June 1998 (PDF). Sutherland, UK: John Muir Trust Survey Report.
- Wood, C.E. (1955). "Evidence for Hybrid Origin of Drosera anglica". Rhodora. 57: 105–130.
External Links
Jepson Manual Treatment
Species account, photographs, and Wisconsin distribution from Wisconsin State Herbarium (UW-Madison)
GRIN taxonomy page, including global distribution info
USDA plant profile
Cultivation Information
International Carnivorous Plant Society