Drosera gibsonii Species Profile

Drosera gibsonii Species Profile

Drosera gibsonii is a species of pygmy sundew that is distinguished by a small rosette atop an attractive stem of old growth. The species was formally described in 2007 and is only known from a few slopes in the Stirling Range in Western Australia. Given its limited distribution within the boundaries of a national park, the species has been afforded Priority 2 conservation status.

Drosera gibsonii has a small rosette of raised leaves. The rosette is raised on a long stem of old growth in older plants. The laminae are oval shaped while the petioles are straight and slightly longer than the laminae. The flower stalk and sepals are covered with a dense covering of short, glandular hairs. The flower is pink.

The species is only known in the Stirling Range where it grows on the lower slopes of mountains in granitic and lateric scree. It is also found in the undulating plains between mountains in laterite.

It is somewhat similar to Drosera dichrosepala, Drosera scorpioides and Drosera lasiantha, but can be distinguished by the indumentum of the floral scape. The peduncle is densely covered with small glandular trichomes and lacks long non-glandular hairs, as opposed to the almost glabrous peduncle of Drosera dichrosepala and the woolly scapes of Drosera lasiantha and D. scorpioides.

Drosera gibsonii in situ
Note the short, glandular hairs on the flower stem
Details of the bloom

Drosera gibsonii
Drosera gibsonii. This specimen is a few years old. Note the long support stilt root.
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