Drosera lunata Buch.-Ham. ex DC.

Candolle, A.P. de (1824) Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 1: 319. Lectotype : Nepal: ‘in India Orientali circa Sembu’, Buchanan s.n., 19 July 1802 (BM752951).

Sundew

Perennial herb with tuberous roots and a vertical stolon 4-6 cm long, stem erect, sparsely branched, 15-70 cm long, glabrous.

Lowest leaves in a flat rosette, lamina orbicular-reniform, 2-6 mm diam. with a petiole 3-10 mm long, lowest leaves sometimes reduced to linear prophylls; cauline leaves alternate or in clusters: lamina crescentic-orbicular with acute lobes, 4-6 mm diam., peltate on slender petioles 2-9 mm long, with long glandular-tipped hairs on margin.

Inflorescence a terminal raceme, 3-10 mm long, 2-8 -flowered, glabrous; peduncle usually 5-19 cm long; pedicels 4-12 mm long. Sepals obovate-elliptic, obtuse, dentate, 3-6 mm long and glabrous. Sepals obtuse, dentate, glabrous; petals obovate, obtuse, 5-8 mm long and all shades from white to pink; styles 3, dichotomously much branched and fan-shaped.

Fruit within a persistent calyx. Seeds 0.65-0.9 mm long with thin raised parallel ridges on the testa.

Features not available.

Occurs in CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards to New South Wales. Altitudinal range from 380-460 m in Queensland but up to 1350 in VIC. Grows in moist and swampy places in rain forest, open forest, Eucalypt forest and Eucalypt woodland. Also occurs in Asia.