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Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts (Pinguicula)
The majority of butterworts are perennial plants. All species form stemless rosettes. The thin, white roots serve mainly as an anchor for the plant and to absorb moisture. The leaf blade of a butterworts is smooth, rigid, and succulent, usually bright green or pinkish in colour. The single, long-lasting flowers are zygomorphic, with two lower lip petals characteristic of the bladderwort family, and a spur extending from the back of the flower. The calyx has five sepals, and the petals are arranged in a two-part lower lip and a three-part upper lip. Most butterworts flowers are blue, violet or white, often suffused with a yellow, greenish or reddish tint. The round to egg-shaped seed capsules open when dry into two halves, exposing numerous small, brown seeds. Of the roughly 80 currently known species, 13 are native to Europe, 9 to North America. The largest number of species is in South and Central America. Butterworts are distributed throughout the northern hemisphere.
Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
info

Key Facts About Butterworts

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Feedback
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Attributes of Butterworts

Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
20 - 38 ℃

Scientific Classification of Butterworts

distribution

Distribution of Butterworts

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Feedback
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Distribution Map of Butterworts

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Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
habit
care detail

How to Grow and Care for Butterworts

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how to grow and care
The butterworts genus is a group of carnivorous plants renowned for their unique light, water, and temperature needs. Optimal care consists of plenty of indirect light, constant moisture, and cool to moderate temperatures. These plants can struggle with pests like aphids and fungus gnats, plus diseases linked to overwatering and poor circulation. Seasonally, butterworts may require added humidity in summer, reduced watering in autumn, and a cool, quiet locale in winter to simulate their native dormancy period.
More Info About Caring for Butterworts
species

Exploring the Butterworts Plants

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8 most common species:
Pinguicula moranensis
Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis /pɪŋˈɡwɪkjʊlə ˌmɒrəˈnɛnsɪs/ 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 cm 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 cm long. The species was first collected by Humboldt and Bonpland on the outskirts of Mina de Morán in the Sierra de Pachuca of the modern-day Mexican state of Hidalgo on their Latin American expedition of 1799–1804. Based on these collections, Humboldt, Bonpland and Carl Sigismund Kunth described this species in Nova Genera et Species Plantarum in 1817. The extremely variable species has been redefined at least twice since, while several new species have been segregated from it based on various geographical or morphological distinctions, although the legitimacy of some of these is still debated. P. moranensis remains the most common and most widely distributed member of the Section Orcheosanthus. It has long been cultivated for its carnivorous nature and attractive flowers, and is one of the most common butterworts in cultivation. The generic name Pinguicula is derived from the Latin pinguis (meaning "fat") due to the buttery texture of the surface of the carnivorous leaves. The specific epithet moranensis refers to its type location, Mina de Moran.
Pinguicula vulgaris
Beanweed
Beanweed, scientifically known as Pinguicula vulgaris, is native to most countries in Europe, the United States, Canada and Russia. The carnivorous plant has a purple flower and grows in damp habitats.
Pinguicula grandiflora
Large-flowered butterwort
Large-flowered butterwort is a charming carnivorous plant with striking large violet flowers. Its sticky, glistening leaves lure unsuspecting insects, which become trapped and digested, supplementing large-flowered butterwort's nutrient intake in the poor soils it typically inhabits. This adaptation showcases the resourcefulness and specialized survival strategy large-flowered butterwort employs in its native damp, boggy environments.
Pinguicula lusitanica
Pale butterwort
Pale butterwort (Pinguicula lusitanica) is a carnivore that traps and feeds on insects. It is considered to be one of the easier carnivorous species to grow ornamentally and is therefore popular with carnivorous plant enthusiasts, although it is sometimes so successful it may be considered weedy. This plant can be rare in the wild and is under special protection status in many parts of France.
Pinguicula leptoceras
Southern butterwort
Southern butterwort is a carnivorous botanical marvel, sporting a rosette of bright green, sticky leaves that lure, trap, and digest unwary insects. Delicate, funnel-shaped violet flowers rise above the foliage, contrasting against the dewy leaves. This plant thrives in nutrient-poor, damp environments, where its clever adaptation secures necessary nourishment.
Pinguicula agnata
Butterwort
Butterwort is a carnivorous plant native to Mexico. It is an ideal plant for those interested in growing carnivorous plants as it is easy to care for and produces attractive, colorful flowers. It is prized for its colorful flowers. The flowers can range in color from pink to purple and are produced on long, slender stems. They bloom in the spring and summer months and can last for several weeks.
Pinguicula esseriana
Mexican butterwort
Mexican butterwort is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests insects with its sticky leaves. Native to Mexico, it prefers wet habitats like bogs and streambanks. Its attractive rosette of leaves produces small purple flowers in the spring. This plant is a must-have for carnivorous plant enthusiasts and is easy to grow in a terrarium or bog garden.
Pinguicula oblongiloba
Pinguicula oblongiloba
Pinguicula oblongiloba is a small, carnivorous plant with a rosette of oblong-shaped leaves. Its leaves are coated with sticky glands that trap and digest insects, a critical adaptation to the nutrient-poor, boggy habitats it thrives in. The lavender to pink flowers blossom on solitary stalks, adding a delicate charm to its otherwise lethal allure.

All Species of Butterworts

Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis
Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis /pɪŋˈɡwɪkjʊlə ˌmɒrəˈnɛnsɪs/ 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 cm 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 cm long. The species was first collected by Humboldt and Bonpland on the outskirts of Mina de Morán in the Sierra de Pachuca of the modern-day Mexican state of Hidalgo on their Latin American expedition of 1799–1804. Based on these collections, Humboldt, Bonpland and Carl Sigismund Kunth described this species in Nova Genera et Species Plantarum in 1817. The extremely variable species has been redefined at least twice since, while several new species have been segregated from it based on various geographical or morphological distinctions, although the legitimacy of some of these is still debated. P. moranensis remains the most common and most widely distributed member of the Section Orcheosanthus. It has long been cultivated for its carnivorous nature and attractive flowers, and is one of the most common butterworts in cultivation. The generic name Pinguicula is derived from the Latin pinguis (meaning "fat") due to the buttery texture of the surface of the carnivorous leaves. The specific epithet moranensis refers to its type location, Mina de Moran.
Beanweed
Pinguicula vulgaris
Beanweed
Beanweed, scientifically known as Pinguicula vulgaris, is native to most countries in Europe, the United States, Canada and Russia. The carnivorous plant has a purple flower and grows in damp habitats.
Large-flowered butterwort
Pinguicula grandiflora
Large-flowered butterwort
Large-flowered butterwort is a charming carnivorous plant with striking large violet flowers. Its sticky, glistening leaves lure unsuspecting insects, which become trapped and digested, supplementing large-flowered butterwort's nutrient intake in the poor soils it typically inhabits. This adaptation showcases the resourcefulness and specialized survival strategy large-flowered butterwort employs in its native damp, boggy environments.
Pale butterwort
Pinguicula lusitanica
Pale butterwort
Pale butterwort (Pinguicula lusitanica) is a carnivore that traps and feeds on insects. It is considered to be one of the easier carnivorous species to grow ornamentally and is therefore popular with carnivorous plant enthusiasts, although it is sometimes so successful it may be considered weedy. This plant can be rare in the wild and is under special protection status in many parts of France.
Southern butterwort
Pinguicula leptoceras
Southern butterwort
Southern butterwort is a carnivorous botanical marvel, sporting a rosette of bright green, sticky leaves that lure, trap, and digest unwary insects. Delicate, funnel-shaped violet flowers rise above the foliage, contrasting against the dewy leaves. This plant thrives in nutrient-poor, damp environments, where its clever adaptation secures necessary nourishment.
Butterwort
Pinguicula agnata
Butterwort
Butterwort is a carnivorous plant native to Mexico. It is an ideal plant for those interested in growing carnivorous plants as it is easy to care for and produces attractive, colorful flowers. It is prized for its colorful flowers. The flowers can range in color from pink to purple and are produced on long, slender stems. They bloom in the spring and summer months and can last for several weeks.
Mexican butterwort
Pinguicula esseriana
Mexican butterwort
Mexican butterwort is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests insects with its sticky leaves. Native to Mexico, it prefers wet habitats like bogs and streambanks. Its attractive rosette of leaves produces small purple flowers in the spring. This plant is a must-have for carnivorous plant enthusiasts and is easy to grow in a terrarium or bog garden.
Pinguicula oblongiloba
Pinguicula oblongiloba
Pinguicula oblongiloba
Pinguicula oblongiloba is a small, carnivorous plant with a rosette of oblong-shaped leaves. Its leaves are coated with sticky glands that trap and digest insects, a critical adaptation to the nutrient-poor, boggy habitats it thrives in. The lavender to pink flowers blossom on solitary stalks, adding a delicate charm to its otherwise lethal allure.
Pinguicula cyclosecta
Pinguicula cyclosecta
Pinguicula cyclosecta
Pinguicula cyclosecta is a captivating carnivorous plant, famous for its rosette of sticky, spoon-shaped leaves that lure and digest insects. The evolution of such leaves, with their glistening droplets, reflects its adaptation to nutrient-poor soils, allowing pinguicula cyclosecta to obtain essential nutrients from trapped prey. During blooming season, striking violet flowers emerge, contrasting with the plant's otherwise subtle green hues, tempting pollinators while its leaves deal with more unwelcome guests.
Pinguicula crenatiloba
Pinguicula crenatiloba
Pinguicula crenatiloba
Pinguicula crenatiloba is a captivating carnivorous plant with a rosette of green, fleshy leaves edged with distinct crenulated margins. These sticky leaves lure and trap unsuspecting insects, which pinguicula crenatiloba digests to complement its nutrient intake in the poor soils it typically inhabits. Soft violet flowers occasionally bloom, offering a delicate contrast to its lethal allure.
Blueflower butterwort
Pinguicula caerulea
Blueflower butterwort
Blueflower butterwort is a captivating carnivorous plant with a penchant for trapping unsuspecting insects on its sticky, glandular leaves. Its delicate violet flowers rise gracefully above the foliage, belying its lethal nature. Thriving in boggy, nutrient-poor environments, blueflower butterwort compensates for soil deficiencies by digesting prey, ingeniously adapting to its challenging habitat.
popular genus

More Popular Genus

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Dracaena
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Ficus
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Rubus
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Acer
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Solanum
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Rosa
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Quercus
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Butterworts
Pinguicula
The majority of butterworts are perennial plants. All species form stemless rosettes. The thin, white roots serve mainly as an anchor for the plant and to absorb moisture. The leaf blade of a butterworts is smooth, rigid, and succulent, usually bright green or pinkish in colour. The single, long-lasting flowers are zygomorphic, with two lower lip petals characteristic of the bladderwort family, and a spur extending from the back of the flower. The calyx has five sepals, and the petals are arranged in a two-part lower lip and a three-part upper lip. Most butterworts flowers are blue, violet or white, often suffused with a yellow, greenish or reddish tint. The round to egg-shaped seed capsules open when dry into two halves, exposing numerous small, brown seeds. Of the roughly 80 currently known species, 13 are native to Europe, 9 to North America. The largest number of species is in South and Central America. Butterworts are distributed throughout the northern hemisphere.
Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
info

Key Facts About Butterworts

feedback
Feedback
feedback

Attributes of Butterworts

Leaf type
Evergreen
Ideal Temperature
20 - 38 ℃

Scientific Classification of Butterworts

distribution

Distribution of Butterworts

feedback
Feedback
feedback

Distribution Map of Butterworts

distribution map
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
care detail

How to Grow and Care for Butterworts

feedback
Feedback
feedback
The butterworts genus is a group of carnivorous plants renowned for their unique light, water, and temperature needs. Optimal care consists of plenty of indirect light, constant moisture, and cool to moderate temperatures. These plants can struggle with pests like aphids and fungus gnats, plus diseases linked to overwatering and poor circulation. Seasonally, butterworts may require added humidity in summer, reduced watering in autumn, and a cool, quiet locale in winter to simulate their native dormancy period.
More Info About Caring for Butterworts
species

Exploring the Butterworts Plants

feedback
Feedback
feedback
8 most common species:
Pinguicula moranensis
Butterwort
Pinguicula moranensis /pɪŋˈɡwɪkjʊlə ˌmɒrəˈnɛnsɪs/ 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 cm 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 cm long. The species was first collected by Humboldt and Bonpland on the outskirts of Mina de Morán in the Sierra de Pachuca of the modern-day Mexican state of Hidalgo on their Latin American expedition of 1799–1804. Based on these collections, Humboldt, Bonpland and Carl Sigismund Kunth described this species in Nova Genera et Species Plantarum in 1817. The extremely variable species has been redefined at least twice since, while several new species have been segregated from it based on various geographical or morphological distinctions, although the legitimacy of some of these is still debated. P. moranensis remains the most common and most widely distributed member of the Section Orcheosanthus. It has long been cultivated for its carnivorous nature and attractive flowers, and is one of the most common butterworts in cultivation. The generic name Pinguicula is derived from the Latin pinguis (meaning "fat") due to the buttery texture of the surface of the carnivorous leaves. The specific epithet moranensis refers to its type location, Mina de Moran.
Pinguicula vulgaris
Beanweed
Beanweed, scientifically known as Pinguicula vulgaris, is native to most countries in Europe, the United States, Canada and Russia. The carnivorous plant has a purple flower and grows in damp habitats.
Pinguicula grandiflora
Large-flowered butterwort
Large-flowered butterwort is a charming carnivorous plant with striking large violet flowers. Its sticky, glistening leaves lure unsuspecting insects, which become trapped and digested, supplementing large-flowered butterwort's nutrient intake in the poor soils it typically inhabits. This adaptation showcases the resourcefulness and specialized survival strategy large-flowered butterwort employs in its native damp, boggy environments.
Pinguicula lusitanica
Pale butterwort
Pale butterwort (Pinguicula lusitanica) is a carnivore that traps and feeds on insects. It is considered to be one of the easier carnivorous species to grow ornamentally and is therefore popular with carnivorous plant enthusiasts, although it is sometimes so successful it may be considered weedy. This plant can be rare in the wild and is under special protection status in many parts of France.
Show More Species

All Species of Butterworts

popular genus

More Popular Genus

feedback
Feedback
feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Ficus
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Rubus
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Acer
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Solanum
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Rosa
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Quercus
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
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17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
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Nearly 5 years of research
product icon
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
ad
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