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Pinguicula
Also called Butterwort
Pinguicula, commonly known as butterworts, is a genus of carnivorous flowering plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. They use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition they obtain from the environment. 126 species are currently accepted. 13 are native to Europe, 9 to North America, and some to northern Asia. The largest number of species is in South and Central America.
Butterworts are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere (map). The greatest concentration of species, however, is in humid mountainous regions of Mexico, Central America and South America, where populations can be found as far south as Tierra del Fuego. Australia and Antarctica are the only continents without any native butterworts.
Butterworts are widely cultivated by carnivorous plant enthusiasts. The temperate species and many of the Mexican butterworts are relatively easy to grow and have therefore gained relative popularity. Two of the most widely grown plants are the hybrid cultivars Pinguicula × 'Sethos' and Pinguicula × 'Weser'. Both are crosses of Pinguicula ehlersiae and Pinguicula moranensis, and are employed by commercial orchid nurseries to combat pests.
Pinguicula acuminata · Pinguicula agnata · Alpine Butterwort · Pinguicula antarctica · Pinguicula balcanica · Blueflower butterwort · Pinguicula caryophyllacea · Casabito Butterwort · Pinguicula chuquisacensis · Pinguicula conzattii · Pinguicula cyclosecta · Pinguicula elizabethiae
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pinguicula by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
