California Butterwort

Description

Pinguicula macroceras is a carnivorous perennial herb growing less than 20 cm tall.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. The leaves are adaxially glandular with stalked glands for capturing small organisms and sessil glands for the digestion of their prey.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. The calyx upper lip of the flower is 3-lobed, while the lower lip is 2-lobed with the center colored white.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.The flowers form a distinct horn on the top, hence the common name horned butterwort.