Balkanian butterwort

Description

Pinguicula balcanica, also known as the Balkanian butterwort, is a perennial carnivorous plant in the family Lentibulariaceae. The plant is endemic to the Balkans. It is found in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Serbia. It grows in the subalpine parts of mountains at an altitude of 900–2,500 metres (3,000–8,200 ft) above sea level. It, like most carnivorous plants, grows in wet, nutrient poor, acidic environments and can often be found in high altitude sphagnum bogs, near streams, and wet rocky places in mountains. It flowers in spring, from May to August, and produces seed from July to September. It survives winter in a hibernaculum. 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. The name Pinguicula is derived from a term coined by Conrad Gesner, who in his 1561 work entitled Horti Germaniae commented on the glistening leaves: "propter pinguia et tenera folia…" (Latin pinguis, "fat"). The common name "butterwort" reflects this characteristic. The majority of Pinguicula are perennial plants. The only known annuals are P. sharpii, P. takakii, P. crenatiloba, and P. pumila. All species form stemless rosettes. Butterworts can be divided roughly into two main groups based on the climate in which they grow; each group is then further subdivided based on morphological characteristics. Although these groups are not cladistically supported by genetic studies, these groupings are nonetheless convenient for horticultural purposes.