Q: Carnivorous plants of Australia and New Zealand

• Cephalotus
  follicularis
• Cephalotus
  follicularis
• Byblis
  gigantea
• Australia
  and New Zealand

A: On this page, I will note all the species found in Australia, New Zealand, and the Chatham Islands. (The Chatham Islands are possessed by New Zealand, but are about 900 km to the east.)

The native carnivorous genera in this region are Aldrovanda, Byblis, Cephalotus, Drosera, Nepenthes, and of course Utricularia. Australia is a global hot spot for carnivorous plants, and has no peer if your interests are Drosera or Utricularia!

Aldrovanda
This plant occurs at several sites in New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Some of these sites house interesting red forms.

Byblis
Nearly the entire genus is endemic to Australia, and is restricted to Western Australia. The only exception is one species (which is either B. liniflora or B. filifolia) that occurs in New Guinea.

Cephalotus
This spectacular little pitcher plant is endemic to the southwest corner of Western Australia. It is a beauty!

• Drosera
  roseana
• Drosera
  paleacea
• Drosera
  lasiantha
• Drosera
  gibsonii
• Drosera
  androsaceae

Nepenthes
Until recently, the range of only one species--N. mirabilis--was thought to include Australia. However, two additional species, both Australian endemics, are now recognized: N. rowanae and N. tenax. The only part of Australia with Nepenthes the northern tip of Queensland, i.e., Cape York.

Now, with trepidation, let us review the two big genera in Australia and New Zealand: Drosera and Utricularia....

• Drosera
  sulphurea
• Drosera
  ramellosa
• Drosera
  platypoda
• Drosera
  zonaria
• Drosera
  erythrorhiza

Drosera
Australia is a center of diversity for the genus Drosera. While it is weak on the familiar rosetted species (i.e., genus section Drosera), it excels in entire groups of sundew species of types found nowhere else.

• Pygmy species (sections Bryastrum and Lamprolepis): The entire suite of about 50 pygmy Drosera taxa occur in Australia. Indeed, they are all endemic to Australia (mostly Western Australia), except for D. pygmaea which ranges into New Zealand.
• The petiolaris-complex (section Lasiocephala): Another group of about a dozen strange species, all endemic to Australia except for D. petiolaris itself, which also occurs in New Guinea. The oddity D. banksii is noted below.
• The rosetted tuberous sundews (section Erythrorhiza): About twenty taxa endemic to Australia.
• The fan-leaved tuberous sundews (section Stolonifera): About ten taxa endemic to Western Australia.
• The erect and scrambling tuberous sundews (section Ergaleium): More than thirty taxa; all are endemic to Australia except for D. peltata (Australia, New Zealand, mainland Asia, and Southeast Asia) and D. auriculata (Australia and New Zealand).
• The Queensland sundews (section Prolifera): D. adelae, D. prolifera, and D. schizandra endemic to Queensland, Australia.

• Drosera
  glanduligera
• Drosera
  glanduligera
• Drosera
  schizandra
• Drosera
  prolifera

In addition to those clean categories, several other taxa occur in our region of interest. All except Drosera indica are discussed more deeply elsewhere in the FAQ.

• Drosera arcturi: Australia and New Zealand.
• Drosera banksii: Australia; also Southeast Asia.
• Drosera binata: A number of infraspecific taxa, in Australia, New Zealand and the Chatham Islands.
• Drosera burmannii: Australia; also southeast and mainland Asia.
• Drosera glanduligera: an Australian endemic.
• Drosera hamiltonii: an Australian endemic.
• Drosera harmeyerorum: an Australian endemic.
• Drosera indica: Australia; also Southeast Asia, mainland Asia, and Africa.
• Drosera spatulata: D. spatulata var. gympiensis is an Australian endemic, but the range for the entire species includes New Zealand, also Southeast Asia and mainland Asia.
• Drosera stenopetala: a New Zealand endemic.
• Drosera subtilis: an Australian endemic.

• Utricularia
  multifida
• Utricularia
  multifida
• Utricularia
  menziesii
• Utricularia
  menziesii

Utricularia
Australia is also a center of diversity for this genus. The Australian species are below. Note that the region has so many species, I am listing plants by taxonomic section whenever possible:

• Section Polypompholyx: Two species, both endemic.
• Section Tridentaria: A single endemic species.
• Section Pleiochasia: More than 30 species, all endemic to the region except for U. dichotoma which also occurs in New Caledonia.
• Section Australes: Three endemic species.
• Section Enskide: Two species, one endemic.
• Section Minutae: A single endemic species.
• Section Oligocista: From this wide-ranging and large section, the species in our region are the endemic U. circumvoluta, and the non-endemic U. bifida, U. foveolata, U. involvens, U. odorata, and U. uliginosa.
• Section Nigrescentes: From this small section, the range of U. caerulea includes Australia.
• Section Meionula: The range of U. minutissima includes Australia.
• Section Nelipus: A small section, all the species are endemic to the region except for U. limosa , which also occurs in southeast and mainland Asia.
• Section Setiscapella: Most species from this section are restricted to the Americas, but U. subulata (of course!) includes Australia in its pan-tropical range!
• Section Utricularia: This section is enormous and global in scope. In our region, we have U. aurea, U. australis, U. gibba, U. muelleri, and U. stellaris. None are endemic.

• Drosera
  spatulata
• Drosera
  pygmaea
• Drosera
  auriculata
• Drosera
  binata

A sub-topic to this page that I might as well answer, is the carnivorous plants of New Zealand. There are only two native genera present, Drosera and Utricularia.

• Drosera: D. arcturi, D. auriculata, D. binata, D. peltata, D. pygmaea, D. spatulata subsp. spatulata, and the New Zealand endemic D. stenopetala.
• Utricularia: U. australis, U. delicatula (New Zealand endemic), and U. dichotoma, U. gibba

• Back to carnivorous plants of the world

Page citations: Clarke, C., and Kruger, R. 2005, 2006; Lowrie, A. 1987, 1989, 1999; Lowrie, A., and Conran, J.G. 1998; Rice, B.A. 2006a; Salmon, B. 2001; Schlauer, J. 2002; Taylor, P. 1989.