Drosera: Three More Pygmies from Western Australia

Drosera aff. pycnoblasta

I had previously blogged about three pygmy Drosera from Western Australia and wanted to follow-up with three more that had been featured on one of my favorite blogs. The first is Drosera aff. pycnoblasta. It is one of the few Drosera species that Allen Lowrie does not seem to have described in his Magnum Opus. This species is found in deep white or yellow sand south of Lake Tay. As its current monkier suggests, it is very similar to Drosera pycnoblasta. It differs by having five styles, instead of three, the petals are pure white, without any trace of color, and produces up to 30 flowers per scape, rather than Drosera pycnoblastas usual 10 or so.

Drosera leucoblasta

Unlike Drosera pycnoblasta, Drosera leucoblasta prefers non-calcereous gravel or clay soils. These soils are, like much of Australia, usually covered by a layer of sand. This species is known for having some of the largest and brightest flowers of pygmy Drosera. Each of its large orange flowers are typically much larger that the whole plant and require a large amount of water and nutrients to produce. As such, this species is more often found near the coast, where rainfall is more regular.

Drosera scorpioides

Lastly, I had to mention one of many growers favorite pygmies, Drosera scorpioides. As with many pygmies, these can most frequently be found in white, non-calcereous sand. Great masses of them can be found in cleared areas that frequently see temperatures rise above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius).