Pinguicula

Scientific name

Pinguicula L.

Common names

butterwort

Family

Lentibulariaceae

Native distribution

Northern hemisphere, extending into South America

Species cultivated

Many species, cultivated varieties and hybrids are grown for use as bog or pond plants.

Adventive distribution

not known

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

carnivorous herbs that (minimally) require high levels of humidity, may be amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
or tolerate short periods of shallow inundation

Brief description

Small rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
; Roots fibrous, relatively undeveloped. Leaves basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
, green or pinkish; prostrateprostrate:
(adj) growing closely along the ground
on substrate or obliquely erect; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
obovate, spatulatespatulate:
(adj) (or spatulate) spoon-shaped
, or linear, fleshy; upper surface and occasionally both surfaces with 2 types of glands; pedunculatepedunculate:
(adj) borne on or possessing a peduncle
glands for entrapment, stalked, mucilagenous secretion at apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
, droplets easily visible; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
glands for digestion, flat on the leaf surface; margins entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, ± incurving around prey (flat if rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
is submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
). Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
, solitary flower, rarely a 2- or 3-flowered racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
; scapescape:
(n) a leafless flowering stalk arising from ground level in acaulescent plants
succulent, glandular; bracts absent. Flowers white, pink, purple, blue, yellow or a combination, rarely red; calyxcalyx:
(n) the outer whorl of the perianth; all the sepals of a flower
2-lipped, upper lip 3-lobed, lower lip 2-lobed; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
spurred, 2-lipped, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, lobes often notched or incised, open at throat, palate hairy; stamens 2; ovaryovary:
(n) a hollow organ at the base of the carpel of a flower in which ovules are produced
subspherical; stigmastigma:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
unequally 2-lobed.

Natural habitat

typically on moist to very wet, nutrient-poor, alkaline soils associated with bogs, shallow standing or running water in areas with a high groundwater table, high humidity or high precipitation

Additional comments

Most species in Pinguicula inhabit areas with high humidity; P. ionantha, P. lusitanica, P. planifolia, and P. primuliflora are known to be able to tolerate short periods of shallow inundation. It is a popular carnivorous plant genus among collectors. The genus is artificially divided into two main groups based on growth cycles, each of which is further subdivided based on morphological characteristics. The temperatetemperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
species lose roots and carnivorous leaves in winter and produce a hibernaculumhibernaculum:
(n) a winter-resting bud of scale-like, non-carnivorous leaves seen in Pinguicula
; generative and vegetativevegetative:
(adj) (1) pertaining to or to the growth of plant organs or plant parts that have nonreproductive functions, such as leaves, roots, stems, etc.; (2) concering non sexual propagules such as tubers, turions, stem fragments, root crowns, rhizomes
rosettes may either be similar (homophyllous type) or different (heterophyllous type). Tropical species continually produce leaves and do not undergo winter dormancy; they may form carnivorous leaves all year (homophyllous type) or form a compact winter rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
of fleshy, non-carnivorous leaves (heterophyllous type).