FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I sourced this plant from Triffid Park a few months ago but it was unlabelled. The supplier lists D. coccicaulus as one of their plants (although they may or may not have unlisted plants on their grow list). I just want to get a more expert opinion on the ID of the plant.
Interestingly, this particular specimen has consistently given me very pretty 6 or 7 petaled flowers, with a corresponding symmetry in the number of stamens and styles.

Just so you're aware, D. coccicaulis is an invalid species name that has never been published, though it is in widespread use mostly to refer to the anthocyanin-free form of this plant. Plants named this are actually D. venusta, and this plant seems to fit the description, albeit with quite an interesting mutant flower.

nimbulan wrote:Just so you're aware, D. coccicaulis is an invalid species name that has never been published, though it is in widespread use mostly to refer to the anthocyanin-free form of this plant. Plants named this are actually D. venusta, and this plant seems to fit the description, albeit with quite an interesting mutant flower.

Thanks for the help! Haven't researched the history of the Drosera natalensis/venusta complex but in some cases I personally think it's somewhat useful to retain redundant naming conventions (Keeping in mind the scientific consensus of course). For example, the Drosera peltata complex was originally described as several distinct species, before being grouped together as a single species - D. peltata. However, recent taxonomical evaluations have again split the complex into a few individual species. Although in this case, it does appear that D. coccicaulis is just a name someone decided to make up, I still think it's an interesting part of the plant's history.

I can certainly see the usefulness of hanging onto older names, particularly if it identifies a particular trait in the plant. Unfortunately it often leads to confusion - with people thinking that D. coccicaulis and D. venusta are different species, or D. admirabilis and D. sp. "Floating". Personally, I try to keep my labels as up to date and accurate as possible to avoid this confusion. That reminds me I really need to go relabel my "Floating" pot.

In this case, I really have no idea where the name came from. "Coccicaulis" means "red stem" which makes no sense when it's supposed to describe an anthocyanin-free plant. But now apparently it's being applied to normal venustas as well?

You certainly have a nice plant there. I wonder if the mutant flower trait can be passed on by seed?

nimbulan wrote:In this case, I really have no idea where the name came from. "Coccicaulis" means "red stem" which makes no sense when it's supposed to describe an anthocyanin-free plant. But now apparently it's being applied to normal venustas as well?

I was told that "Coccicaulis" was an older name for this sundew, now renamed as Venusta. Most of what I've seen for sale is D. venusta, but the anthocyanin-free one I got was sold as "Coccicaulis alba". I'm not sure about the origin of "coccicaulis" so mine are labeled "Venusta" and "Venusta alba" currently.

SundewWolf wrote:I was told that "Coccicaulis" was an older name for this sundew, now renamed as Venusta. Most of what I've seen for sale is D. venusta, but the anthocyanin-free one I got was sold as "Coccicaulis alba". I'm not sure about the origin of "coccicaulis" so mine are labeled "Venusta" and "Venusta alba" currently.

I'm not really sure where it originated, and the recently published Drosera of the World books simply indicate that the name is invalid. It's possible it was a proposed name before the plant was published as Drosera venusta.

I did some research and according to an old thread from terraforums, the name D. coccicaulis was created by Paul Debbert, the guy who described D. venusta.

" the invalid name D. coccicaulis was created by Paul Debbert, who described D. venusta. The name was created because Paul´s plants were kept in an "open greenhouse" with easy access to everybody and he created it to protect the new, still undescribed species from theft (Paul Debbert, personal communication). So all your D. coccicaulis are D. venusta."
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showt ... 254&page=5

It also appears that plants labelled D. coccicaulis may have been collected from a different location than the other D. venusta in circulation. If that's true, then it might be worth distinguishing between plants labelled D. coccicaulis for its location value.

That is interesting, I've never read that story before. I wonder if there are any consistent morphological differences between a typical D. venusta and the coccicaulis locality?

I've heard talk that the "coccicaulis alba" plants grow more upright than venusta. I'm not convinced that this is consistent, though, as I've only seen one grower show evidence of this and it could be affected by environmental conditions. I've seen many "regular" venusta display the exact same growth pattern.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdzu2eCgFVf ... alusplants
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd5CFBflYC7 ... flytrapguy

I have a Drosera venusta, bought from Predatory plants.
The new leaves grow upright.
As they get older, the leaves droop to a horizontal position.
It's a fairly undemanding plant and it is a little different from the usual flat rosetted Drosera.

Good growing,
Mike

So I have one of these and it’s not looking very well. I’m think of repotting and putting outside in direct sunlight to see if that may help it. Only downside is it’s getting close to fall here in Colorado so I don’t know how much real good, warm days we have left here in the state. Would direct sunlight maybe perk this little guy up?

It just looks a bit light-starved, was probably tissue-cultured. Provide it with plenty of light and it should look great in a month.

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 5:12 pm How long have you had it? It may be recovering.

I’ve had it about 2-3 weeks.

nimbulan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 5:23 pm It just looks a bit light-starved, was probably tissue-cultured. Provide it with plenty of light and it should look great in a month.

Thank you. I’ll try that out