Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 75; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 62; Benth. Fl. Austral. ii. 451; Kirk, Students' Fl. 144.
North Island: Cape Palliser, Colenso. South Island: Lake Wanaka, Petrie!
Also common in south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The linear acuminate leaves, long pedicels, and many-seeded carpels at once separate it from all the other species found in New Zealand.
Order XXVI. DROSERACEÆ.
Herbs, rarely undershrubs. Leaves alternate, often rosulate, stipulate, usually furnished with glandular irritable hairs; vernation circinate. Flowers regular, hermaphrodite. Calyx 4–5-partite or divided into 4–5 free sepals, imbricate, persistent. Petals the same number, hypogynous, rarely perigynous, free or sometimes connate at the base. Stamens 4-5, rarely more, hypogynous or perigynous, rarely epipetalous. Ovary free or nearly so, 1–3-celled; styles 1–5, simple or bifid or multifid; ovules numerous, attached to parietal placentas equalling the styles in number. Capsule membranous, loculicidally 3–5-valved; seeds numerous, albuminous; embryo straight, axile.
A small order, comprising 6 genera and about 120 species, distributed over the whole world with the exception of Polynesia, but most abundant is Australia. The whole of the species capture insects, usually by means of glandular viscid and irritable hairs; but in some cases, as the well-known Venus's fly-trap (Dioncsa muscipula) by rapidly closing laminae, which shut the insects as it were in a box. For a full account reference should be made to Mr. Darwin's well-known book on "Insectivorous Plants." The single New Zealand genus is the largest in the order, and has an almost world-wide distribution.
1. DROSERA, Linn.
Herbs, either scapigerous or with a leafy stem. Leaves rosulate or alternate, covered with numerous hair-stalked glands which secrete a drop of transparent viscid fluid. Stipules wanting or adnate to the base of the petiole. Flowers solitary or in terminal often one-sided racemes or cymes. Calyx 4–5-partite. Petals 4–5, hypogynous or rarely perigynous, marcescent. Stamens the same number. Ovary ovoid or globose, 1-celled; styles 2–5, free or connate below; ovules numerous, on 2–5 parietal placentas. Capsule oblong, 2–5-valved. Seeds minute; testa lax.
Species about 100, scattered over the whole world, but most abundant in Australia. Of the 6 found in New Zealand, 1 is endemic, the remaining 5 extend to Australia.
| * Scape 1-flowered. | |
| Leaves spathulate. Calyx-lobes short, rounded. Styles 3, multifid | 1. D. stenopetala. |
| Leaves linear-ligulate. Calyx-lobes long, linear-oblong. Styles 3; stigmas capitate | 2. D. Arcturi. |
| Minute. Leaves rosulate, orbicular. Styles 4; stigmas clavate | 3. D. pygmæa. |
