Byblis aquatica

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Byblis aquatica
ByblisAquaticaHabitus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Byblidaceae
Genus: Byblis
Species:
B. aquatica
Binomial name
Byblis aquatica
Lowrie & Conran (1998)

Byblis aquatica is an insectivorous plant belonging to the genus Byblis , commonly known as the rainbow plants. It was described by Allen Lowrie and John Godfrey Conran in 1998, assigned to a group of annual north Australian species known as the " Byblis liniflora complex". It grows in semi-aquatic conditions and uses stalked mucilaginous glands (similar to those employed by the unrelated sundews and Drosophyllum ) covering its leaf surfaces to attract, catch, and digest insect prey to supplement the poor environmental nutrient supply.

Taxonomy

Byblis aquatica was first collected by Allen Lowrie in April 1988. In cultivation it was taken for an ecotype of B. liniflora and assigned the name Byblis aff. liniflora "Darwin". It remained thus until Barry Meyers-Rice demonstrated evidence of the reproductive isolation of the species, at which Jan Flisek suggested the description of the taxa as a new species in 1996. Allen Lowrie did so as part of his revision of north Australian species in 1998. [2]

Description

Byblis aquatica flower ByblisAquaticaFlora.jpg
Byblis aquatica flower

Byblis aquatica is an annual plant with a usually unbranching central stem supported by fine, fibrous roots. The central stem can reach a length of 45 centimetres (18 in), although it is only able to support its own weight during early growth (<5 cm.). After that it leans on neighboring plants for support, eventually toppling and growing horizontally along the ground or water surface, with only the growth tip growing uprightly.

The plant's leaves are 2–4 centimetres (0.79–1.57 in) long, highly filiform (elongated and narrow), round in cross-section and tapering at the end. Young leaves are bright green and grow uprightly; as they age, they darken to a maroon (color) and droop. The leaf surface is covered with stalked mucilaginous glands along its entire length. These serve not only to attract and trap insect prey, but also allow the plant to "hold on" to neighboring structures for support.

Byblis aquatica flowers are born singly at the tip of 1.5–3-centimetre (0.59–1.18 in) stems similar in appearance to the leaves. These emerge from the leaf axes in mature plants. The five-petaled, deep purple flowers appear between January and May (during the Australian summer), although only a few at a time.

B. aquatica seed capsule ByblisAquaticaCapsula.jpg
B. aquatica seed capsule

The generally glabrous, ovate sepals are 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in) long. The obovate petals are deep purple, 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) long and up to 4.5 millimetres (0.18 in) wide, and have notched margins. The filaments are 2–2.5 millimetres (0.079–0.098 in) long, bearing 0.9–1.3-millimetre (0.035–0.051 in) anthers. The pistils are 2–2.5 mm long and bear a rough stigma.

Fertilized flowers mature to form a 5–10-millimetre (0.20–0.39 in) by 3–5-millimetre (0.12–0.20 in) egg-shaped, two-parted seed capsules. The dry capsule only opens after being soaked in water [3] (see water dispersal). The black, 1–1.3-millimetre (0.039–0.051 in) long seeds are grooved lengthwise. [4]

Distribution and habitat

This species has a very limited distribution in the Australian Northern Territory. It is endemic to the area between Darwin and Berry Springs and has also been found on Bathurst Island. It grows in the loamy sand of seasonally flooded depressions and in the shallow margins of freshwater lagoons. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Drosophyllum</i> Genus of carnivorous plants

Drosophyllum is a genus of carnivorous plants containing the single species Drosophyllum lusitanicum, commonly known as Portuguese sundew or dewy pine. In appearance, it is similar to the related genus Drosera, and to the much more distantly related Byblis.

<i>Byblis</i> (plant) Genus of carnivorous plants

Byblis is a small genus of carnivorous plants, sometimes termed the rainbow plants for the attractive appearance of their mucilage-covered leaves in bright sunshine. Native to Australia and New Guinea, it is the only genus in the family Byblidaceae. The first species in the genus was described by the English botanist Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1808. Eight species are now recognised.

<i>Roridula</i> Insect-trapping shrublet from South Africa

Roridula is a genus of evergreen, insect-trapping shrubs, with two species, of about 1⅓–2 m. It is the only genus in the family Roridulaceae. It has thin, woody, shyly branching, upright, initially brown, later grey stems, with lance- to awl-shaped leaves crowded at their tips. The star-symmetrical flowers consist from the outside in of five, green or reddish, free sepals, alternating with five white, pink or purple, free petals. Further to the middle and opposite the sepals are five stamens with the anthers initially kinked down. These suddenly flip up if the nectar-containing swelling at its base is being touched. The center of the flower is occupied by a superior ovary. The leaves and sepals carry many sticky tentacles of different sizes, that trap insects. Roridula does not break down the insect proteins, but bugs of the genus Pameridea prey on the trapped insects. These later deposit their feces on the leaves, which take up nutrients from the droppings. The species can be found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. They are commonly known as dewstick or fly bush in English and vlieëbos or vlieëbossie in Afrikaans.

<i>Drosera pedicellaris</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Drosera pedicellaris is a pygmy species of the sundew genus (Drosera). It was discovered in 1997 and described in 2002 by Allen Lowrie.

<i>Drosera anglica</i> Species of carnivorous flowering plant in the family Droseraceae

Drosera anglica, commonly known as the English sundew or great sundew, is a carnivorous flowering plant species belonging to the sundew family Droseraceae. It is a temperate species with a circumboreal range, although it does occur as far south as Japan, southern Europe, and the island of Kauai in Hawaii, where it grows as a tropical sundew. It is thought to originate from an amphidiploid hybrid of D. rotundifolia and D. linearis, meaning that a sterile hybrid between these two species doubled its chromosomes to produce fertile progeny which stabilized into the current D. anglica.

<i>Byblis gigantea</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Byblis gigantea, commonly known as rainbow plant, is a carnivorous species of plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.

<i>Byblis liniflora</i> Species of plant

Byblis liniflora is a species of carnivorous plant in the family Byblidaceae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

<i>Byblis rorida</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Byblis rorida is a species of carnivorous plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.

Stylidium diceratum is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the genus Stylidium. The specific epithet diceratum is Greek for "two horns", referring to the two appendages that are present on the bend of the gynostemium. It is an annual plant that grows from 15 to 35 cm tall. The longer leaves are lanceolate and the shorter ones are spathulate, forming a basal rosettes around the stem. The leaves are around 5–8 mm long and 0.2-2.5 mm wide. Inflorescences are around 6–15 cm long and produce flowers that are orange with dark orange and pink veins and bloom from June to August in their native range. S. diceratum is only known from the type location, which is at creek crossings on the road to Beverley Springs in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Its habitat is recorded as being sandy soils on creek margins. It grows in the presence of S. ceratophorum, S. rubriscapum, Drosera caduca, D. paradoxa, Byblis liniflora, and Grevillea pteridifolia. S. diceratum is most closely related to S. longicornu, but it can be confused with S. ceratophorum, which also has an orange corolla but twice as large.

<i>Byblis lamellata</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Byblis lamellata is a carnivorous plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.

Byblis guehoi is a species of carnivorous plant in the genus Byblis. It is a compact species and is tetraploid. It was described in 2008 by Allen Lowrie and John Godfrey Conran. It is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

<i>Senecio angulatus</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Senecio angulatus, also known as creeping groundsel and Cape ivy, is a succulent flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. Cape ivy is a scrambling herb that can become an aggressive weed once established, making it an invasive species. It is grown as an ornamental plant for its satiny foliage and sweet-scented flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnivorous plants of Australia</span>

Australia has one of the world's richest carnivorous plant floras, with around 187 recognised species from 6 genera.

<i>Sesamum radiatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Sesamum radiatum is a species of flowering plant in the Pedaliaceae. It is in the same genus as sesame, and is known by the English common names benniseed, black benniseed, black sesame, and vegetable sesame. It is native to west and central Africa, has been cultivated since ancient times in Africa, and is sometimes also used in tropical Asia where it has become naturalized to a small extent.

<i>Crassula ovata</i> Species of succulent

Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian pitcher plant</span> Carnivorous herbaceous plant

The Australian pitcher plant, also known as Albany pitcher plant, is the only species of plant in the Cephalotaceae family and Oxalidales order. It can be found exclusively in moist conditions in a small region in southwest Australia and is considered to be a carnivorous plant. Similar to the not related Nepenthes, it catches its victims with pitfall traps.

Micromyrtus navicularis is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to a small area in the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with narrowly egg-shaped leaves, and small white flowers in upper leaf axils with 10 stamens in each flower.

<i>Hypericum elodeoides</i> Species of flowering plant of the St. Johns wort family

Hypericum elodeoides, commonly called the Himalayan St. John's Wort, is a species of flowering plant of the St. John's wort family (Hypericaceae).

Cyananthus formusus is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is native to grassy slopes and forests of northwest Yunnan in China. In Mandarin the species is known as 美丽蓝钟花. Originally described by Ludwig Diels in 1912 in the Notes of the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh, the species is a small, blue-flowered plant suitable for Alpine gardens.

<i>Byblis pilbarana</i> Species of plant

Byblis pilbarana is a carnivorous species of plant in the family Byblidaceae. It is found in Western Australia.

References

  1. Cross, A. (2019) [errata version of 2018 assessment]. "Byblis aquatica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T39630A143957712. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T39630A143957712.en . Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  2. Lowrie, Allen; Conran, John G (1998). "A Taxonomic Revision Of The Genus Byblis (Byblidaceae) In Northern Australia". Nuytsia. 12 (1): 59–74. doi:10.58828/nuy00283.
  3. D'amato, Peter (2013). The Savage Garden, revised. p. 231.
  4. Conran, John G; Lowrie, Allen (1993). "Byblis liniflora subsp. occidentalis (Byblidaceae), A New Subspecies From North-Western Australia". Austral. Syst. Bot. 6. 6 (2): 175–179. doi:10.1071/SB9930175.
  5. Holmes, Jarrad; Bisa, Deborah; Hill, Audrey; Crase, Beth (2005). A Guide to Threatened, Near Threatened and Data Deficient Plants in the Litchfield Shire of the Northern Territory. Ultimo: WWF-Australia. p. 12. ISBN   1-875941-85-1.

Further reading