New Species of Drosera in South Africa

Drosera sp. Kromrivier, Cederberg

It's always fun to browse Facebook and find someone posting about a new species of carnivore. This one, a Drosera species with red flowers, is from near the Kromrivier in Cederberg, South Africa. This species has been known to exist since, at least, 2005, but - to my knowledge - it has not been formally described as of yet.

Drosera sp. Kromrivier, Cederberg

This new species appears to inhabit areas along the Kromrivier in the Cederberg Mountains where vernal pools exist. Vernal pools are short-lived ponds of water which typically host a variety of annual species with a short life cycle. In the case of this species of Drosera, it has rather thick roots, indicating that it is, in fact, a perennial, not an annual.

Drosera sp. Kromrivier, Cederberg

Interestingly, the coloration of this species and its tendency to grow in large bunches very closely mimics that of some Crassula which grow nearby. Given the small distribution range of this species, I wonder if evolution favored the mimicry or whether that similarity is merely a coincidence.

Drosera sp. Kromrivier, Cederberg

To my knowledge, no one has introduced this species into cultivation. Although, with the status of South African carnivores as they are, it is possible it is introduced under a different or incorrect name. (Take, for instance, "sp. floating" which is, in fact, Drosera admirabilis, and the numerous other carnivores only known by either place name or odd moniker). It appears as though some real research is being done into this species currently, and I'm hopeful we'll know more (and have a formal description) sometime soon.