Pinguicula villosa (Small Butterwort) - photos and description

Pinguicula villosa

Pinguicula villosa

Pinguicula villosa 

Pinguicula villosa
Three plants in bloom in above photo, a penny is included for scale

Pinguicula villosa 

Origin: Native.

General: Very small insectivorous plant with bright yellow-green leaves with rolled edges, leaves greasy to touch. The leaves are covered with small glands which trap small insects. The leaves secrete acids to dissolve the insect`s body which is then absorbed by the plant.

Flowers: Single purple flowers, tubular in shape, with a 3-lobed lower lip, flower to 10 mm in length, spur to 5 mm length. Flowering stem villous.

Leaves: Leaves all in a basal rosette. We measured leaves varying from 3 mm to 7 mm in length, and 3 mm to 5 mm in width.

Height: Height of flowering stem 30 mm to 45 mm.

Habitat: Ssphagnum mounds in bogs in Saskatchewan's northern forests.

Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.

When and where photographed: Took the photos on June 27th and June 29th in a sphagnum bog, west of Southend, in Saskatchewan's Boreal Shield, about 900 km north of our home in Regina, SK.