Pinguicula vulgaris
| Pinguicula vulgaris | |
|---|---|
_-_Keila.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lentibulariaceae |
| Genus: | Pinguicula |
| Species: | P. vulgaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Pinguicula vulgaris | |
Pinguicula vulgaris, the common butterwort, is a perennial carnivorous plant in the butterwort genus of the family Lentibulariaceae.
Description[edit]
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.[1] 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.[2] The taxonomic status of these forms is not universally recognised – see e.g. The Plant List.[3]
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.[4] 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.[4][5] Insect capture is an adaptation to nutrient-poor conditions, and the plant is highly dependent on insects for nitrogen.[6]
Distribution[edit]
It has a generally circumboreal distribution, being native to almost every country in Europe as well as Russia, Canada, and the United States.[5][7] It is generally found growing in places such as bogs, fens, alvars, and other areas with limestone bedrock and alkaline waters.[5]
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Flower from the side, Niitvälja bog, Estonia -
Whole plant, Norway -
Pinguicula vulgaris near Mývatn, northern Iceland
_-_Keila.jpg)
References[edit]
- ^ Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Lone Pine Publishing, 1994. p. 351
- ^ The Savage Garden, Revised: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants. Random House LLC, 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Nature up close: The carnivorous Butterwort plant". CBS News. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "A Circumboreal butterwort". In defense of plants. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Anderberg, Arne. "Den Virtuella Floran, Pinguicula vulgaris L." Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden.
