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Pinguicula vulgaris

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(Redirected from Common butterwort) Species of flowering plant in the bladderwort family Lentibulariaceae

Pinguicula vulgaris
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Pinguicula
Species: P. vulgaris
Binomial name
Pinguicula vulgaris
L.

Pinguicula vulgaris, the common butterwort, is a perennial carnivorous plant in the butterwort genus of the family Lentibulariaceae.

Description

It grows to a height of 3–16 centimetres (1.2–6.3 in), and is topped with a purple, and occasionally white, flower that is 15 millimetres (0.59 in) or longer, and shaped like a funnel. This butterwort grows in damp environments such as bogs and swamps, in low or subalpine elevations. Being native to environments with cold winters, they produce a winter-resting bud (hibernaculum). There are three forms originating from Europe: P. vulgaris f. bicolor, which has petals that are white and purple; P. vulgaris f. albida, which has all white petals; and P. vulgaris f. alpicola, which has larger flowers. The taxonomic status of these forms is not universally recognised – see e.g. The Plant List.

Common butterwort is an insectivorous plant. Its leaves have glands that excrete a sticky fluid that traps insects; the glands also produce enzymes that digest the insects. This serves as a way for the plant to access a source of nitrogen, as they generally grow in soil that is acidic and low in nutrients, such as bogs. Insect capture is an adaptation to nutrient-poor conditions, and the plant is highly dependent on insects for nitrogen.

Distribution

It has a generally circumboreal distribution, being native to almost every country in Europe as well as Russia, Canada, and the United States. It is generally found growing in places such as bogs, fens, alvars, and other areas with limestone bedrock and alkaline waters.

References

  1. Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Lone Pine Publishing, 1994. p. 351
  2. The Savage Garden, Revised: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants. Random House LLC, 2013.
  3. "The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1.: Pinguicula vulgaris L." London, U.K.: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic Garden. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Nature up close: The carnivorous Butterwort plant". CBS News. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  5. ^ "A Circumboreal butterwort". In defense of plants. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. Karlsson, P. S.; Carlsson, B. (1984). "Why does Pinguicula vulgaris L. trap insects?". The New Phytologist. 97 (1): 25–30. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1984.tb04105.x. JSTOR 2434191.
  7. Anderberg, Arne. "Den Virtuella Floran, Pinguicula vulgaris L." Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden.
  8. ^ "Sépaq Anticosti Deer hunting - 2018 season" (PDF). Sépaq. 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2024. McDonald's River sector: map: 540.62 km², integrates geographic information from government sources

External links

Taxon identifiers
Pinguicula vulgaris
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