What is a butterwort?
Butterworts
(Latin: Pinguicula) are carnivorous plants which
are able to use insects as food source beside the uptake
of nutrients by roots. With the help of sticky traps the
plants can "catch" insects. The traps consist of hair
with mucous glands at the end that secrete sticky
substances (mostly sugar). Beside the hairy glands there
a sessile glands on top of the leaves which secrete
enzymes that "digest" the preys (works like in a human
stomach). The glittering secretions of the glands and
the mushroom-like odour are mostly responsible for the
attraction of prey. In botanical terms butterworts
belong to the plant family of Lentibulariaceae.Within
this
family there are other genus with insectivorous
capabilities. The name Pinguicula is derived
from the Latin word pinguis, literally meaning
"small and fat one".
Interested
in knowing more about these curious plants?
Then
take a look at the following pages with a lot of
information and nice photos of different butterwort
species.
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suggestions
or comments about my homepage? Then simply send me an
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