As is well known,
Australia is full of endemic species of plants and animals, because of the continent's long geographic isolation, tectonic stability, and the effects of an unusual pattern of climate change. One of these species of plants is
Drosera lowriei (in the maxicard), formally described for the first time by N. G. Marchant in 1992, and named in honour of
Allen Lowrie. Is a perennial tuberous species, endemic to
Western Australia, and grows in a rosette about 3-4 cm in diameter (typical form) or 5-7 cm (giant form), in loam soils in wet zones near granite outcrops. It produces white flowers that may be 5, 6 or 7-petalled, but usually 5. It's an insectivorous plant, so it can survive in nitrogen poor soils, because it gets the nutrients it needs from insects. The upper surfaces of leaves are covered with hairs that secrete a sweet sticky substance. This attracts insects, which become smeared with it and unable to escape. The plant then exudes a digestive fluid that enables it to absorb most of the insect into its system.
Read more »
