DROSEEACE^E 517 



Seedlings. According to Nitschke, 1 Drosera rotundifolia 

 does not start with a rosette of leaves. The young plant 

 works its way up through the Sphagnum, and the first 

 leaves are similar in shape to those of D. anglica. The 

 behaviour of the seedling appears to be dependent upon the 

 medium upon or in which the seed germinates, or, in other 

 words, to the convenience offered the plant to spread out its 

 leaves in a rosette with full exposure to sunlight. It is 

 a case of adaptation to surroundings. Seedlings belong- 

 ing to other Orders and having large seeds are enabled to 

 carry up their cotyledons or leaves, or both, to the light by 

 the elongation of the hypocotyl or the lower internodes of the 

 stem, while the primary leaves may be reduced to the condi- 

 tion of scales. 



The cotyledons of D. rotundifolia are small and spathu- 

 late. Those of D. binata are minute and linear-spathulate. 

 The first six or more leaves have an orbicular glandular-hairy 

 lamina, followed by some which are obreniform or broadly 

 triangular. The ultimate leaves are bifurcate with narrowly 

 linear, glandular-hairy segments. 



Drosera binata, Labill. 



Primary root short, -stout, blunt, covered with brown root-hairs, 

 with one or two short stout lateral rootlets. 



Cotyledons minute, linear-spathulate, glabrous, pale green, about 

 1-1-5 mm. long. 



Stem undeveloped. 



Leaves simple, entire at first, then forked, ultimately bifurcate, 

 radical, alternate, stipulate, petiolate, glandular-hairy and grooved 

 above, thickened at the margin, glabrous, grooved beneath, green and 

 shining ; glandular hairs with the lower half pale green, the upper 

 half more or less purple and tipped with purple globose glands ; 

 petioles compressed with rounded edges, glabrous, grass-green ; 

 stipules in the adult plant connate by their contiguous margins in 

 front and at the base of the leaf, fimbriated at the margin, brown, 

 scarious. 



Nos. 1-6 or more. Very small with an orbicular glandular-hairy 

 lamina that catches flies even in this small state ; the glands secrete 

 a fluid, and the stalks of the hairs incurve on the insect. 



1 Bot. Zdt. 1860, p. 57, taf. ii. 



