Some houseplants are grown for their flowers. Others are prized for unusual foliage. And then there is Pinguicula—a charming little plant that manages to be both beautiful and quietly murderous.
Commonly known as the butterwort, Pinguicula belongs to a fascinating group of carnivorous plants that obtain some of their nutrients by trapping and digesting tiny insects. Unlike the dramatic jaws of the Venus flytrap or the strange pitchers of Nepenthes and Sarracenia, the butterwort goes about its business with remarkable discretion.
At first glance, many Pinguicula look more like small succulents than carnivorous plants. Their leaves form neat rosettes, often in fresh shades of green and sometimes tinged with pink or purple. Above the foliage rise delicate flowers that may be violet, pink, white or other colors, depending upon the species and variety.
But those innocent-looking leaves conceal the trap.
Living Flypaper
The upper surfaces of Pinguicula leaves are covered with tiny glands that produce a sticky substance. Small insects landing on the leaves become trapped. The plant then releases digestive enzymes and absorbs nutrients from its prey.
This method has earned butterworts the rather apt description of "living flypaper."
For indoor gardeners, that becomes especially interesting because one of the insects Pinguicula can capture is the troublesome fungus gnat.
Fungus gnats are familiar nuisances wherever moist potting soil and houseplants are found. The tiny adults seem to materialize from nowhere, hovering around pots, windows and one's face at precisely the wrong moment.
A strategically placed butterwort can catch a surprising number of the adults.
It should not be regarded as a complete cure for a serious fungus-gnat infestation—the larvae live in the growing medium and proper watering and sanitation still matter—but Pinguicula can form a useful part of the gardener's defenses. Unlike a yellow sticky card, it also happens to be a handsome plant.
Why Are Butterworts Becoming So Popular?
Carnivorous plants have enjoyed renewed attention among younger plant collectors and houseplant enthusiasts, and Pinguicula are particularly well suited to the moment.
They combine several characteristics gardeners find irresistible: compact size, unusual behavior, attractive foliage and surprisingly pretty flowers.
They are also wonderfully conversational plants.
A visitor may admire the little rosette on a windowsill without realizing that the plant has been busily catching insects all week. Point out the remains of a few fungus gnats on the leaves and the butterwort suddenly becomes considerably more interesting.
Recent gardening coverage has also drawn attention to Pinguicula as a natural means of catching fungus gnats. That practical benefit has introduced butterworts to people who might never otherwise have considered growing a carnivorous plant.
Not All Pinguicula Are Alike
The genus Pinguicula contains many species distributed through parts of North America, Central America, South America, Europe and Asia.
Some are temperate plants adapted to pronounced seasonal changes. Others, particularly the popular Mexican species and hybrids, are commonly grown as unusual houseplants.
Mexican Pinguicula are especially appealing because many produce tidy rosettes resembling succulents. Some change their growth habits with the seasons, producing different types of leaves during wetter and drier portions of their natural cycle.
This means that care should be matched to the particular species or hybrid rather than assuming that every butterwort wants exactly the same conditions.
Growing Pinguicula at Home
Most commonly cultivated butterworts appreciate plenty of bright light. A bright windowsill can work well, although the requirements of individual species vary.
Water quality deserves particular attention. Carnivorous plants generally evolved in environments where nutrients in the soil or water are scarce. Mineral-rich tap water can therefore cause problems for some types. Rainwater, distilled water or appropriately purified water is often the safer choice.
Ordinary rich houseplant potting soil should also be avoided unless the particular Pinguicula being grown is known to tolerate it. Carnivorous plants generally require specialized, nutrient-poor growing media.
And resist the natural gardener's impulse to be generous with fertilizer. Butterworts have spent a very long time developing another way of getting dinner.
Should You Feed a Butterwort?
Usually, there is no need to spend one's evenings catching gnats for it.
A Pinguicula grown where tiny insects are present is perfectly capable of hunting for itself. That is, after all, the attraction.
The leaves may eventually become dotted with captured insects. This isn't a defect or a sign that the plant needs cleaning. It means the trap is working.
A Carnivorous Plant for People Who Don't Think They Like Carnivorous Plants
Perhaps the greatest appeal of Pinguicula is that it doesn't look particularly sinister.
Venus flytraps possess jaws. Pitcher plants have deep traps into which insects disappear. Butterworts simply sit there looking rather pretty.
Their carnivorous nature reveals itself only upon closer inspection.
That combination of beauty, botanical curiosity and usefulness makes Pinguicula particularly appealing for a sunny windowsill, plant room or collection of unusual houseplants. For gardeners battling the occasional fungus gnat, the attraction becomes greater still.
You could hang another yellow sticky trap.
Or you could grow a plant that does much the same job while producing flowers.
We know which one we'd rather have on the windowsill.
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