Drosera Gibsonii

Jan 2008

The latest pygmy drosera to have been formally described is Drosera Gibsonii.Named after Robert Gibson,a well known Australian researcher of carnivorous plants.It was described in 2007 and seems to be related to Drosera Silvicola although it looks a bit like D.Lasiantha.Unfortunately D.Gibsonii is fairly rare and localized.The habitat it grows in is specialized and so far only two populations have been located but both are within protected areas.

Effect of global warming on pygmy drosera

July 2007

Many wild pygmy drosera populations are being put under stress as a result of increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns in Australia.The plants are well adapted to cope with difficult conditions but numbers seem to decreasing.One of the main methods of propagation in the wild is with gemmae.The recent higher temperatures have meant gemmae have been produced later in the year giving the resulting plants less time to develop before the summer.Also the cooler wetter part of the year is now shorter making things more difficult as well.In recent times some cultivated pygmy drosera plants in Southern Australia have been observed to keep flowering right through to gemmae production and winter Perhaps this can be attributed to the changing weather patterns.

There is little doubt now that wild populations of Drosera Pygmae in South East Australia have declined as a result of some of their habitat drying out.

Former carnivorous plant habitat in South East Australia