Drosera spatulata Mobara town, Japan

Species of the Drosera spatulata complex are found from New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia, through southern Asia, and into China and Japan. As would be expected with that wide a range, there are a number of closely related species and varieties.

Drosera spatulata var. spatulata itself or plants very similar are found throughout the full range. There is tremendous variation in plants considered Drosera spatulata var. spatulata. Some of this variation is not taxonomically relevant. Some of the variation is taxonomically relevant, but not officially recognized at this time.

The variation from location to location can be quite extreme within Australia and Tasmania. The range in plant size is on the order of 2 to 7 cm. Some of the variation is local ecological adaptation where, for instance, a location will have short or unpredictable seasons and the plants will grow quickly and bloom quite small. This is genetic as the plants in cultivation are also small and may be hard to maintain long term in captivity. However, size is not a taxonomic character. Flower color also is not considered taxonomically significant. Flower petals can be white or pink. To define a separate species or variety, there needs to be something else different for the plant to get a separate name.

Drosera spatulata was named by Jacques-Julien Labillardière in 1804 from a plant collected near Southport, Tasmania, during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition in 1793. The description basically says "spathulate" leaves and has a few other details such as glandular calyx. This is the typical form of the plants in Australia, Tasmania, parts of southeast Asia, and Japan.

Drosera spatulata has its northern-most range in Japan. Here it overlaps with the eastern-most range of Drosera rotundifolia. D. rotundifolia does not belong to the spatulata complex. And yet these two species hybridise naturally and the complex of hybrids have several ploidy levels. I'm not entirely sure where on this interval spatula Mobara town is exactly, but it does look more spatulata-like and is easy to grow, but not as invasive as some hybrids of the complex. Unusually for location plants, this one is absolutely beginner-friendly.