Droseraceae is a family of carnivorous flowering plants, also known as the sundew family. It consists of approximately 180 species in three extant genera. Representatives of the Droseraceae are found on all continents except Antarctica.
Lentibulariaceae is a family of carnivorous plants containing three genera: Genlisea, the corkscrew plants; Pinguicula, the butterworts; and Utricularia, the bladderworts.
Utricularia, commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species. They occur in fresh water and wet soil as terrestrial or aquatic species across every continent except Antarctica. Utricularia are cultivated for their flowers, which are often compared with those of snapdragons and orchids, especially amongst carnivorous plant enthusiasts.
Genlisea is a genus of carnivorous plants also known as corkscrew plants. The 30 or so species grow in wet terrestrial to semi-aquatic environments distributed throughout Africa and Central and South America. The plants use highly modified underground leaves to attract, trap and digest minute microfauna, particularly protozoans. Although suggested a century earlier by Charles Darwin, carnivory in the genus was not proven until 1998.
The genus Heliamphora contains 24 species of pitcher plants endemic to South America. The species are collectively known as sun pitchers, based on the mistaken notion that the heli of Heliamphora is from the Greek helios, meaning "sun". The name instead derives from the Greek helos, meaning "marsh", so a more accurate translation of their scientific name would be marsh pitcher plants. Species in the genus Heliamphora are carnivorous plants that consist of a modified leaf form that is fused into a tubular shape. They have evolved mechanisms to attract, trap, and kill insects; and control the amount of water in the pitcher. At least one species produces its own proteolytic enzymes that allows it to digest its prey without the help of symbiotic bacteria.
C-value is the amount, in picograms, of DNA contained within a haploid nucleus or one half the amount in a diploid somatic cell of a eukaryotic organism. In some cases, the terms C-value and genome size are used interchangeably; however, in polyploids the C-value may represent two or more genomes contained within the same nucleus. Greilhuber et al. have suggested some new layers of terminology and associated abbreviations to clarify this issue, but these somewhat complex additions are yet to be used by other authors.
Genlisea aurea is one of the largest carnivorous species in the genus Genlisea. It has pale bundles of root-like organs up to about 15 cm long under ground that attract, trap, and digest protozoans. These organs are subterranean leaves, which lack chlorophyll. G. aurea is endemic to Brazil, where it grows with several other species of Genlisea. It possesses an exceptionally small genome for a flowering plant.
Heliamphora minor is a species of marsh pitcher plant endemic to Auyán-tepui in Venezuela. As the name suggests, it is one of the smallest species in the genus. It is closely related to H. ciliata and H. pulchella.
Genlisea margaretae is a carnivorous species in the genus Genlisea native to areas of Madagascar, Tanzania, and Zambia. It has pale bundles of root-like organs up to about 20 cm long under ground that attract, trap, and digest protozoans. These organs are subterranean leaves, which lack chlorophyll. It had been known to possess the smallest known genome of any flowering plant as of 2006, but was later surpassed by the related species Genlisea tuberosa.
Philcoxia is a genus of seven rare plant species in the Plantaginaceae that are endemic to Brazil and resemble terrestrial species of the genus Utricularia. The genus, formally described in 2000, consists of the species P. bahiensis, P. goiasensis, P. minensis, P. tuberosa, P. rhizomatosa, P. maranhensis and P. courensis, each of the first three named for the Brazilian state to which it is endemic. The species are characterized by subterranean stems, peltate leaves at or below the soil surface, and five-lobed calyces. Their habitat has been reported as areas of white sand in the midst of cerrado vegetation at an elevation between 800 and 1450 m. Initial descriptions of the genus included suspicions that the plethora of stalked capitate glands on the upper surfaces of leaves was an indication that these species may be carnivorous. A study published in 2007 tested P. minensis for protease activity, a typical test for the carnivorous syndrome, and could detect none. Later studies detected other digestive enzymes such as phosphatases and qualitatively assessed prey digestion and nutrient uptake, suggesting that it is a true carnivorous plant. The genus epithet honors David Philcox (1926-2003), a botanist at Kew Gardens who worked extensively in tropical Scrophulariaceae.
Peter Geoffrey Taylor (1926–2011) was a British botanist who worked at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew throughout his career in botany. Taylor was born in 1926 and joined the staff of the herbarium at Kew in 1948. He published his first new species, Utricularia pentadactyla, in 1954. In 1973, Taylor was appointed curator of the orchid division of the herbarium and, according to Kew, "under his direction, orchid taxonomy was revitalised and its horticultural contacts strengthened."
Utricularia rostrata is a small annual carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. rostrata is endemic to the Chapada Diamantina highlands of Bahia, Brazil. It grows as a terrestrial plant in damp sandy soils near streams and waterfalls in semi-shaded areas at altitudes from 550 to 1,570 metres. It was originally described and published by Andreas Fleischmann and Fernando Rivadavia in 2009, though specimens of this species had been discovered as early as 1992. Fleischmann and Rivadavia note that the species is common throughout the Chapada Diamantina highlands and its distribution includes Chapada Diamantina National Park, thus justifying its ranking as a species of Least Concern under the IUCN.
Drosera sessilifolia is a species in the carnivorous plant genus Drosera that is native to Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela and grows in sandy or gravelly soils in seasonal seepages where a thin film of water collects. It produces a rosette of small, wedge-shaped to round carnivorous leaves that are usually yellowish but become redder with age. Inflorescences produce pink-lilac flowers. It has a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 20.
Drosera quartzicola is a species in the carnivorous plant genus Drosera and is endemic to the Serra do Cipó in central Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. It is perennial plant that produces leaves, 0.7–4 cm (0.3–1.6 in) long, in a rosette that is sometimes on a short stem about 4 cm (1.6 in) tall. It is found growing in campo rupestre vegetation along with D. tentaculata and D. chrysolepis. It is typically found growing in silica sands surrounded by white quartz gravel, which is the origin of the specific epithet quartzicola. Drosera quartzicola grows in drier habitats than other Drosera species and flowers earlier in the wet season from January to February. It superficially resembles D. schwackei, but it is more closely related to D. camporupestris, D. graminifolia, and D. chrysolepis.
Philcoxia minensis is a rare annual herb of the family Plantaginaceae, that is endemic to the Serra do Cabral area of the Brazilian state Minas Gerais. It was discovered April 17, 1981 by David philcox. in the municipality of Joaquim Felício and grew near other plants from the campos rupestres montane savanna. The exact location of collection was unspecified. The species has been shown to produce phosphatases.
Drosera graomogolensis is a carnivorous plant species native to the State Minas Gerais in Brazil and is now cultivated as an ornamental in Europe. In Brazil, it grows in the campos rupestres habitat.
Drosera tentaculata is a carnivorous plant native to Brazil. The species is endemic to the Brazil and occurs in "rupestre" field at the "Cadeia do Espinhaço" Highlands in the Bahia and Minas Gerais.
Drosera magnifica is a species of sundew endemic to Pico do Padre Ângelo in eastern Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, where it grows among sandstone outcrops in herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. It is one of the three largest species of Drosera – the other two being D. regia from South Africa and D. gigantea from Australia – and was discovered in 2015 through images which appeared on the social network Facebook. It is the largest New World sundew, and it is closely related to Drosera graminifolia and Drosera spiralis. According to the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, it is considered Critically Endangered. Brazil is home to some 30 species of Drosera.
Pinguicula hemiepiphytica is a tropical carnivorous plant species native to the cloud forests of Oaxaca, Mexico. It was first identified in 1991 and is one of the few epiphytic species in the genus.
