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Drosera buubugujin
Drosera buubugujin was discovered only in recent decades: a large rainforest sundew from Cape York Peninsula in the far north of Queensland, described in 2020 by Mathieson and Thompson. It is the fourth member of section Prolifera, alongside D. adelae, D. prolifera and D. schizandra, and grows furthest north of the group.
No photograph of this species under a Creative Commons licence or in the public domain is in the guide yet.
Identification
A flat rosette that can reach 30 cm across, with oblanceolate leaves that taper gradually and have a short but distinct petiole. Young plants make different leaves, with longer stalks and a rounder blade. The dense inflorescences reach 42 cm and carry up to forty very small flowers, often less than half a centimetre across, with reddish to pink-purple petals. After flowering a young plantlet often forms at the tip of the flowering stem and takes root. The pollen is white.
Similar species
The most similar species is Drosera schizandra from the Wet Tropics, which also has broad leaves; D. buubugujin, however, has longer, slimmer leaves and white rather than yellowish pollen. D. adelae has long, narrow lanceolate leaves without a distinct stalk; D. prolifera has small round blades on long stalks and also forms plantlets on its flowering stem. The locality, far north of the Wet Tropics, is a further clue.
The trap and how it works
An active flypaper trap. The tentacles on the large blades catch small insects of the humid rainforest understorey, such as gnats and springtails, in sticky mucilage. The tentacles bend towards the prey, after which the glands digest it. As in related rainforest species, the catch supplements scarce nutrients in a setting where light is also limited.
Habitat and ecology
Shaded, sandy stream banks in gallery forest in rainforest ravines (B3), at about 400 m altitude. The site is permanently humid and receives only filtered light.
Distribution and elevation
Endemic to Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, where the species is known from two national parks. Precise sites are deliberately not given here: this is a recently described species with a very small known range that is sensitive to collecting pressure. The range description 'Queensland' is correct but broad.
- Recorded (one-degree cells)
Forms and variation
No varieties are recognised. The species was described in 2020 in the journal Austrobaileya. The name derives from a local Aboriginal language; its exact meaning could not be verified for this guide. Because the species has been known for so short a time, little has yet been published on variation between populations.
Where and when to see it
The sites lie in remote, hard-to-reach rainforest ravines within national parks jointly managed with the Traditional Owners. A visit requires preparation and respect for the rules of the park and the Traditional Owners. Take no plants or seed; the species is available in cultivation from propagated stock.
Conservation status
The species has not been assessed for the global IUCN Red List and is not listed in CITES. Its known range is very small, which makes it vulnerable to local disturbance such as changes in stream hydrology, extreme weather and illegal collecting. The sites do lie within national parks. A formal assessment of its conservation status is still lacking.
Scientific name
Drosera buubugujin | Mathieson, 2020
Described by M.T. Mathieson in 2020, in Austrobaileya, volume 10, p. 550 — one of the most recently described species in the entire guide. The precise type locality could not be established. "Buubugujin" is a word from an Aboriginal language of Australia — exactly which language and what it means could not be established with certainty. Notably one of the few species names in the guide that does not come from Latin or Greek, but from an Aboriginal language.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), via Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.