An Australian origin for Drosera meristocaulis

The carnivorous sundew Drosera meristocaulis, which is endemic to a remote high-summit area of the Amazon region, has been shown to share morphological characters with pygmy sundews of Drosera sect. Bryastrum that are endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Rivadavia et al. combine phylogenetic reconstructions with a comparative morphological and cytological analysis and show that sect. Meristocaulis and its single species, D. meristocaulis, is nested within the Australian Drosera clade, sister to a group comprising species of sect. Bryastrum. Long-distance dispersal between south-western Oceania and northern South America is the most likely scenario to explain the phylogeographic pattern revealed.