Pinguicula macroceras

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Pinguicula macroceras
Pinguicula macroceras - Flickr 003.jpg
Pinguicula macroceras - growing from cliff side seep.
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Pinguicula
Species:
P. macroceras
Binomial name
Pinguicula macroceras
Pall. ex Link

Pinguicula macroceras, the California butterwort [1] or horned butterwort, is a species of perennial carnivorous herb that is native to the North American Pacific coast, as well as other select distributions in Canada, Russia, Japan, and the United States.[3] [7] Common names include California butterwort, horned butterwort and butterwort. Pinguicula macroceras belongs to the genus Pinguicula and the family Lentibulariaceae.

Contents

Description

Pinguicula macroceras is a carnivorous perennial herb growing less than 20 cm tall.[3] With simple fleshy leaves (green-dark brown) that form a basal rosette, that are often recognized as slimy or sticky, and occasionally incurving over trapped prey.[3] The leaves are adaxially glandular with stalked glands for capturing small organisms and sessil glands for the digestion of their prey.[3] A single rosette can have 1-5 inflorescences held up by individual stems, which are composed of a single purple-blue flower (rarely observed with 2) that lack bracts.[3] The calyx upper lip of the flower is 3-lobed, while the lower lip is 2-lobed with the center colored white.[3] The corolla measures 13–21 mm with a lip that is often found to be hairy and generally does not block the throat of the flower.[3] The flowers form a distinct horn on the top, hence the common name horned butterwort.

Habitat

Pinguicula macroceras are found growing in moist habitats and often in serpentine conditions.[3] Moist slopes and serpentine banks along creeks and rivers, at an altitude less than 1800 m are places where they are likely to be located.[4] Serpentine cliff sides (most often north facing) with fast flowing seeps have also been documented habitat of the Pinguicula macroceras.[4] Moist habitats that are home to Pinguicula macroceras are often dominated by layers of moss that they form basal rosettes on top of and bury their roots underneath.

Distribution

In North America P. macroseras is found within 750 km of the Pacific coast in California, Oregon, Washington, and into Canada.[1] [7] Other populations of P. macroceras are known to exist in Russia and Japan.[3] Disputes over the classification of P. macroceras as a species rather than a sub-species of P. vulgaris along with the difficulties of distinguishing the two species from each other have made defining the distribution of P. macroceras difficult in areas where the species are sympatric.[2]

Ecology

Pinguicula macroceras - growing on moss covered cliff side in Hiouchi, California. Pinguicula macroceras nortensis ne1.JPG
Pinguicula macroceras - growing on moss covered cliff side in Hiouchi, California.

Pinguicula macroceras exists in an ecological niche that is unsuitable for most other types of plant life with some exceptions e.g. moss. They have done this by growing in water abundant, nutrient deprived serpentine soils and cliff sides, adopting a carnivorous behavior to supplement the nutrients that are absent in the serpentine habitats.

Dispute over classification

Pinguicula macroceras was described in 1820 and was characterized it by a long spur.[4] The original specimens collected by Link were stored in Berlin and destroyed during World War II.[4] Surviving specimens collected in 1933 by several other botanists from the same locations documented by Link were noted to have shorter spurs and named P. microceras.[4] In 1968, Casper asserted that P. microceras was not a species or sub-species, and demonstrated that P. macroceras grown in harsher conditions will develop a reduced spur.[5] In 1972, Komiya asserted that P. macroceras was not a species, but rather a large flowered sub-species of P. vulgaris.[6] The debate continues today between the two camps on whether P. macroceras is morphologically distinct enough from P. vulgaris to be considered a species.[2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lentibulariaceae</span> Family of carnivorous plants

Lentibulariaceae is a family of carnivorous plants containing three genera: Genlisea, the corkscrew plants; Pinguicula, the butterworts; and Utricularia, the bladderworts.

<i>Pinguicula moranensis</i> Perennial insectivorous herb in the family Lentibulariaceae native to Mexico and Guatemala

Pinguicula moranensis is a perennial rosette-forming insectivorous herb native to Mexico and Guatemala. A species of butterwort, it forms summer rosettes of flat, succulent leaves up to 10 centimeters (4 in) long, which are covered in mucilaginous (sticky) glands that attract, trap, and digest arthropod prey. Nutrients derived from the prey are used to supplement the nutrient-poor substrate that the plant grows in. In the winter the plant forms a non-carnivorous rosette of small, fleshy leaves that conserves energy while food and moisture supplies are low. Single pink, purple, or violet flowers appear twice a year on upright stalks up to 25 centimeters long.

<i>Pinguicula lusitanica</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula lusitanica, commonly known as the pale butterwort, is a small butterwort that grows wild in acidic peat bog areas along coastal atlantic western Europe from western Scotland and Ireland south through western England and western France to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco in north-western Africa.

<i>Pinguicula alpina</i> Species of plant

Pinguicula alpina, also known as the alpine butterwort, is a species of carnivorous plant native to high latitudes and altitudes throughout Eurasia. It is one of the most widespread Pinguicula species, being found in mountainous regions from Iceland to the Himalayas. Native to cold climates, it is a temperate species, forming prostrate rosettes of green to red leaves and white flowers in the summer and a tight hibernaculum during a period of winter dormancy in the winter. Like all members of the genus, P. alpina uses mucilaginous glands covering the surface of its summer leaves to attract, trap, and digest arthropod prey.

<i>Pinguicula primuliflora</i> Species of plant

Pinguicula primuliflora, commonly known as the southern butterwort or primrose butterwort, is a species of carnivorous plant belonging to the genus Pinguicula. It is native to the southeastern United States. The typical variety forms a white flower in blooming. Like other butterworts, it has sticky adhesive leaves which attract, capture and digest arthropod prey in order to supply the plant with nutrients such as nitrogen not found in the nutrient poor, acidic soil that it grows in. Its name derives from the fact it is usually the first one to flower in the spring.

<i>Pinguicula ramosa</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula ramosa is a species of butterwort, a carnivorous plant, endemic to the mountains of Nikkō National Park in Japan. It belongs to the section micranthus and is closely related to Pinguicula variegata. It is unique in the genus for having a forked flower stalk.

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.

<i>Pinguicula conzattii</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula conzattii is an insectivorous plant of the genus Pinguicula native to the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a member of the section Heterophyllum. Closely related to Pinguicula mirandae, it is notable for being pubescent on both sides of its winter leaves. It is named in honour of Cassiano Conzatti, an Italian-born botanist who spent most of his life in Mexico.

<i>Pinguicula vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant in the bladderwort family Lentibulariaceae

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

<i>Pinguicula orchidioides</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula orchidioides is a perennial rosette-forming insectivorous herb native to Mexico and Guatemala. A species of butterwort, it forms summer rosettes of flat, succulent leaves up to 5 centimeters (2 in) long, which are covered in mucilaginous (sticky) glands that attract, trap, and digest arthropod prey. Nutrients derived from the prey are used to supplement the nutrient-poor substrate that the plant grows in. Uniquely among Pinguicula species from the Americas, p. orchidioides produces gemma-like basal buds which elongate into stolons and serve as a means of asexual reproduction. In the winter the plant forms a non-carnivorous rosette of small, fleshy leaves that conserves energy while food and moisture supplies are low. Single purple flowers appear between July and September on upright stalks up to 22 centimeters long.

<i>Pinguicula elizabethiae</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula elizabethiae is a perennial rosette-forming insectivorous herb native to the Mexican states of Querétaro and Hidalgo. A species of butterwort, it forms summer rosettes of flat, succulent leaves up to 5 centimeters (4 in) long, which are covered in mucilaginous (sticky) glands that attract, trap, and digest arthropod prey. Nutrients derived from the prey are used to supplement the nutrient-poor substrate that the plant grows in. In the winter the plant forms a non-carnivorous rosette of small, fleshy leaves that conserves energy while food and moisture supplies are low. Single purple flowers appear between July and October on upright stalks up to 75 millimeters long.

<i>International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter</i> Academic journal

The International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter was the official publication of the International Pinguicula Study Group, a Pinguicula society based in the United Kingdom that was active during the 1990s. Typical articles included matters of horticultural interest, field reports, and scientific studies. Only 10 issues were ever released and the newsletter had an irregular publication history. In chronological order, the 10 issues were: volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4, volume 5, volume 6, volume 7, volume 8, volume 9, and volume 10. The International Carnivorous Plant Society hosts an online archive of all ten issues.

<i>Pinguicula</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Lentibulariaceae

Pinguicula, commonly known as the 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. Of the roughly 80 currently known species, 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.

<i>Pinguicula ionantha</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula ionantha is a rare species of flowering plant in the butterwort family known by the common names Godfrey's butterwort and violet butterwort. It is endemic to the US state of Florida, where it only occurs in the central Florida Panhandle. It is threatened by the loss of its habitat, and it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Pinguicula lutea</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula lutea, commonly known as the yellow butterwort, is a species of warm-temperate carnivorous plant in the family Lentibulariaceae. It grows in savannas and sandy bog areas of the Southeastern United States.

<i>Pinguicula filifolia</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula filifolia, is a carnivorous species of plant found predominantly in western Cuba and some of the neighboring regions. It was discovered by Charles Wright in 1866. It is a tropical plant that uses sticky secretions on its leaves to catch small insects, pollen, and other plant debris to help supplement its own nutrition. It thrives in swamp like white sand savannahs with high temperatures and humidity.

<i>Pinguicula caerulea</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Pinguicula caerulea, commonly referred to as blue butterwort, blueflower butterwort, or violet butterwort, is a flowering plant species in the carnivorous butterwort (Pinguicula) genus and bladderwort family (Lentibulariaceae). It is a perennial dicot. It grows in moist sandy pineland habitat in the south-east USA. Caerulus is Latin for from the sky or sea and refers to the color of the flowers.

<i>Pinguicula pumila</i> Species of plant

Pinguicula pumila, commonly known as the small butterwort or dwarf butterwort is a small species of carnivorous plant in the genus Pinguicula. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it grows in habitats where soil is poor in nutrition.

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.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Pinguicula macroceras". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 October 2015.

1. Baalim, F., Peters, C., & Cota-Sánchez, J. (2013). Distribution and natural history of carnivorous plants of Saskatchewan, Canada. Check List, Journal of Species List and Distributions, 9(4), 883-893.

2. Rice, B. (2011). Flower studies do not support subspecies within Pinguicula macroceras. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, 40, 44-49. Retrieved June 9, 2015.

3. Rice, B. A. 2014. Pinguicula macroceras, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=38246, accessed on June 8, 2015.

4. Rondeau, J. (1997). Pinguicua macroceras subsp. nortensis, a new subspecies of Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) from the California-Oregon border. International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter, 8, 3-9.

5. Casper, S. J.. 1962. On Pinguicula macroceras Link in North America. Rhodora, 64: 212-221.

6. Komiya, S.. 1972. Systematic Studies on the Lentibulariaceae. Tokyo: NGC, Dept. of Biology. pp 44–48.

7. Rondeau, J. H. 1995. Carnivorous Plants of the West, Volume II: 37. California, Oregon, Washington.