MORE THAN 96 SPECIES

and numerous varieties, forms and natural and horticultural hybrids

USUAL NAME

Butterwort

 
History and etymology

The knowledge and uses of these plants are very old, the Pinguicula apperaed in the XV century. In about 1873, W. Marshall assume the possible carnivory of the gender and communicate its findings to C. Darwin, who, in 1875, confirms that Pinguicula are carnivorous plants. The name comes from the Latin pinguis, meaning "fat", referring to the greasy leaves.

Distribution

Except a few species that grow in the Southern Hemisphere (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile), the vast majority is located in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and other tropical regions, temperate and arctic Northern Hemisphere.

Biotope

Considering their distribution in the world, the climatic conditions under which these plants grow are highly variable, ranging from warm, temperate and cold weathers. They like damp places, marshes, bogs, stream edges, oozing rocks, mossy trees, from sea level to the high mountains. The soils are very different and could be acidic, alkaline or neutral. In some settings other carnivores genera (Drosera, Sarracenia...) occurs with them.

Description

Perennials herbaceous terrestrial or epiphytic plants, 2cm to 60 cm in diameter. Leaves are green or yellow, sometimes tinged with pink and display variable shapes (oblong, lanceolate ...) and gathered into a rosette.

Traps are formed by the leaves, densely covered by glandular hairs that catch prey and enzymatically digest them.

The prey are small Diptera, Lepidoptera ...

The flowers (pink, white, purple, blue or yellow) are very beautiful and sometimes abundant.

Pinguicula poldinii

Pinguicula villosa