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A recent outing. (big pics!!)


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Earlier today myself and a few friends took a break from the VCPS show and went on a trip to Cranbourne botanic gardens. The tuberous Drosera were all but dormant but the spatulata and Utrics were looking very nice.

U. dichotoma habitat

dichot%20hab%20Cran.JPG

U. dichotoma

dichot%201%20Cran.JPG

A U. dichotoma with blue ridges!

dichot%20blue%201%20Cran.JPG

Another pic to prove it is a stable trait! We found 2 populations with this trait. We assume that they are perenial popualtions as they were to large to have grown in one season.

dichot%20blue%202%20Cran.JPG

U. lateriflora were growing everywhere there was wet ground.

lat%20hab%20Cran.JPG

A U. lateriflora flower close up

lateriflora%20Cran.JPG

D. pygmaea were quite common and there were a few growing in sand.

pygmaea%201%20Cran.JPG

The D. spatulata were looking nice

spat%201%20Cran.JPG

Cheers

George

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Geez, you didn't waste any time George. I haven't even had a chance to look at my shots yet. The colonies of the purple paletted U. dichotoma were much more impressive than a photo can illustrate. I'll post a few of mine when I find the time.

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Yep, they had white flowers. That is the normal colour that you find in the coastal areas of Melbourne and Victoria.

They are the same plants and same location as seen in this recent thread-

http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11940

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Here's a few of mine.

The purple paletted U. dichotoma

Utricularia_dichotoma_purple1_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

Utricularia_dichotoma_purple2_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

Utricularia_dichotoma_purple3_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

The habitat of U. dichotoma and U. australis which grew in the water.

Utricularia_dichotoma_habitat1_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

Utricularia_dichotoma_habitat_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

and a patch of U. lateriflora which was unbelievably common anywhere that there was a bit of moisture.

Utricularia_lateriflora_Cranbourne_041205.JPG

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I took a few pics but have run out of web space. I was also going to load some pics from another, somewhat less exciting, field trip. I will have to use some of the storage here. Its always a buz to find something new!

Sean, I didn't give much of a talk through as by the time I loaded all the camera software (which it turned out I already had on the PC :( ) I was to tired to say much. It is interesting to see the variation in our cameras for the colour of the U. dichotoma.

Cheers

George

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Hi Martin,

No, you are correct. U. lateriflora does prefer sandy soils. This area is actually an old sand mine that was reclaimed and turned into a native botanical gardens. A seep runs through the centre providing perfect conditions for swamp loving CP species. This particular spot may appear a little more peaty but most other areas are a grey coloured sand.

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Hi Sean,

Is there much variation in U. dichotoma across its range?

I was just looking at the one, posted, the from with the yellow palate bulge from the same location, and one from a sub-alpine area of the ACT.

Cranbourne_dichotoma.JPG

U. dichotoma with yellow on palate bulge (Cranbourne VIC)

Orroral_dichotoma.JPG

U. dichotoma with creamy yellow on palete bulge (Orroral ACT).

Looks like the variation is mainly in colouration and the width of the corolla, but the structure on the palate bulge varies a little also...

Cheers,

Dan.

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No Jim there weren't any snakes around but it was the perfect day for them. We saw an echidna, a wombat, a bandicoot and several types of small lizard but none of the snakes that are quite common in the area.

Hi Dan,

The U. dichotoma forms in Victoria (the only ones that I am really familiar with) vary mainly in the size and width of the lower corolla, the colour of the palate (yellow or white), the degree to which it protrudes, the number of ridges present on it and the presence or lack of a darker purple colouration around the generally yellow palette. There are a few which have different flower colours, for example the form from Jamieson which has pink, blue, lilac and deep purple flowers. Other differences can be the size of the leaves (some are quite small whereas others can be considerably larger). The number of flowers the plants produce can also differ between different forms (from 1 in some areas to more than 6 in others) as well as the thickness of the inflorescence (some are thin and wiry whereas others can be quite thick and sturdy).

Something you'll have to keep a lookout for during your travels. :shock:

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This area is actually an old sand mine that was reclaimed and turned into a native botanical gardens.

Hi Sean,

that sounds good - at least if it means the area is protected now for a longer time. Hope the same happens to many other comparable places in Down Under like e.g. the Koolpinya Sand Sheet.

Regards

Martin

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