Em Lamond · CC BY 4.0
About
A notable perennial sundew, *Drosera monticola* is endemic to the high summits of the Stirling Range in Western Australia. It is characterized by its reddish, circular leaves that grow in whorls and its ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Field notes
Morphology
This small herbaceous plant typically grows 2 to 7 centimeters tall and is tuberous, producing bright red, globose tubers up to six millimeters in diameter. The reddish, circular leaves grow in whorls around erect stems and, unlike some relatives, are incapable of folding onto captured prey. The flowering form produces a glabrous raceme with terminal pink flowers.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to the summits of Toolbrunup Peak and Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Range National Park, Southwestern Australia. It is restricted to extremely high elevations, specifically the cloud-lines of the mountain summits.
Ecology
The leaves are covered in carnivorous glands, allowing the plant to capture and digest various types of arthropods. It thrives in winter-wet loamy soils collected on ledges and depressions.
History & etymology
It was initially described as a subspecies of *D. stolonifera* by Allen Lowrie and N. G. Marchant in 1992. The name was formally elevated to species status by Lowrie in 2005, and finally validated in 2011.
Habitat
- Altitude
- —
- Altitude Class
- —
- Native To
- Australia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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