Drosera spatulata var. loureloi, Macao, CHN

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.

The variation from location to location can be quite extreme. 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. Especially outside Australia variation can also be attributed to hybridisation and/or introgression.

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.

There is a unique form of Drosera spatulata in the Pearl River Delta, from Hong Kong, Macao, to Guangzhou, area of China. Compared to typical Drosera spatulata var. spatulata, the plants are more hairy and robust with long petioles and a cuneate-orbicular leaf lamina.

There is also a Drosera spatulata complex plant described as Drosera spatulata var. loureirii (or just D.loureloi) by William Jackson Hooker and George Arnott Walker-Arnott in 1841 that was collected in the Macau/Guangzhou (Canton) area of China. A. Fleischmann examined of the type specimen and found it to be a hybrid between Drosera oblanceolata and Drosera spatulata.

An there are at least two taxons of 'spatulata x oblanceolata' – at least at the time of writing I grow two.

If my plants are determined correctly, Drosera spatulata Pearl River and Drosera loureloi Macao are definitely different taxons. And the former is defininitely not an oblanceolata x spatulata hybrid. Both my oblanceolata x spatulata hybrids are sterile and don't produce seed, while loureloi obviousely does. In any case all of these plants are fun and easy to grow, so at the moment I have them available under names they were acquired by. If you're into plant taxonomy, pls contact me, lets chat and compare notes.

Taxon on offer here is very robust spatulata-like plant with hairy petioles, acquired as Drosera spatulata var. loureloi Macao, CHN.