Pinguicula agnata x (moranensis x ehlersia) flower front-view
Pinguicula agnata x (moranensis x ehlersia) flower front-view
Pinguicula agnata x (moranensis x ehlersia) flower side-view
There are over 70 species of Pinguicula, commonly known as "butterworts". They are very beautiful and fairly easy to grow. This plant is a horticultural hybrid that illustrates the possibilities for producing beautiful flowers.
Although "pings" are not generally as popular as some of the other genera of carnivorous plants, they may win the award for having the biggest trapping area of all CP. The entire leaf surface of the plant is covered in greasy glandular hairs which are very efficient at attracting and capturing fungus gnats.
The scientific name Pinguicula comes from the latin root "pinguis" meaning grease or fat. This refers to the oily texture of the trapping surface of the leaf. The ending '-cula' is a diminutive. So Pinguicula can be literally translated as: 'The Little Greasy'.
Display of potted pings at Peter D'Amato's CP nursery
This is a good example of how Pings may be grown in decorative containers for a very showy effect.
Following in the style of Juerg Steiger, (see the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, Volume 4, number 1, pages 8-18) This talk divides the Pings of the world into four different categories. The first characteristic divides the plants into two groups depending on whether they are Tropical or Temperate. Each of these groups is further divided into two sub-groups depending on whether the plant has two different leaf-forms for winter and summer (Heterophyllous), or if it only has one leaf-form the year round (Homophyllous).
A flow-chart of the Tropical growth habit is shown here. If the "generative", or flowering form of the plant is identical to the "vegetative" or non-flowering form, then the plant is considered to be "Homophyllous" (meaning One-Leaved). If the spring and autumn forms are different, then the plant is considered "Heterophyllous" (meaning Two-leaved").
close up of rosette showing winter/summer leaves
This picture shows a plant of the Heterophyllous type. The new, much larger carnivorous summer leaves are just emerging from the center of the winter rosette. The winter leaves are usually non-carnivorous, and are very much smaller and tighter similiar to an Echeveria sp..
The Tropical Homophyllous species have the simplest requirements. They have no dormancy, and only have one type of leaf-form. The next slide shows a list of these species. These are often the easiest Pings for a beginner to start with.
These species are commonly found in Mexico, South America, the Mediterranean, and in the U.S. They typically flower twice per year, and have continuous growth throughout the year.
Peat/perlite mixtures work well for the North American species, while many growers seem to have best results using inorganic vermiculit/perlite for the Mexican species.
Those species in bold font are common in collections, and are illustrated in this tutorial. At the time of this talk (5/13/1994) the other species were much more difficult to acquire. Due to advances in tissue culture propagation, there is hope that some of these rarer species will become available to hobbiests in the future.
Habitat locations are listed after each entry. Cultural hints, where known, are given in brackets "[]". See the key at the end of this table for details.
Tropical Growth Habit
Key to cultural hints:
A = Acid media
B = Basic media
H = Hibernacula forming
Temperature Key: Summer Winter: Growing period:
1 32-34F 46-68F 4-6 months
2 34-39F 59-84 7-9 months
3 26-34F 45-65F 3-4 months
4 40-55F 60-85F year-round
5 35-50F 70-90F year-round
Sources:
1) Jan Schlauer, Nomenclatural Synopsis of the Carnivorous
Phanerogamous Plants: The World Carnivorous Plant List.
2) Juerg Steiger, CPN V4 #1, pp8-18.
3) "Carnivorous Plants of the World" by James and Patricia
Pietropaolo, 1986.
4) Marcel Lecoufle, "Carnivorous Plants"
5) The International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter
No. 1-4, S.E. Lampard, 196, Hole Lane Northfield
Birmingham, B31 2DB England.
Pinguicula planifolia - rosette
This is a native North American ping. Notice the very papery leaves.
Pinguicula emarginata - rosette
This ping is named "emarginata" after its distinctive, curled up leaf margins. These curled edges are very good for holding the digestive juices on the surface of the leaf.
If you look near the center of the rosette, and also in the lower right hand corner of the pot, you can see some new plantlets popping up. This kind of multiplication is common, and occurs whenever a detached leaf is in contact with a moist substrate.
Pinguicula primuliflora - rosette
Pinguicula primuliflora - flower side
Pinguicula primuliflora - flower front
Pinguicula primuliflora - Mass Planting at Peter D'Amato's CP Nursery
Pinguicula primuliflora likes to grow in really wet, live sphagnum moss, kept on the dim side. I grow mine in semi-sealed plastic boxes under the greenhouse bench.
The delicate little flower is very pretty, with purple/pink, white and yellow colors in the petals. Notice the short spur on the flower, and the fuzzy yellow structure in the throat of the flower.
Pinguicula antarctica - rosette
Pinguicula lutea - rosette w/pointed leaves (from Robert Allen's collection)
Pinguicula lutea - rosette w/round leaves (from Peter D'Amato's collection)
Pinguicula lutea - flower open
Here are two forms of Pinguicula lutea , showing the variation in leaf form due to genetic and cultural differences. "Lutea" means "yellow" and refers to the color of the flower.
This is another North American native plant. The pinkish flower is very nicely veined with a deeper purple, and has a yellow throat. Like many other N/A pings, this one also has a hairy exerted beard structure in the flower's throat.
Pinguicula lusitanica - Mendecino Bog, California
Pinguicula lusitanica - rosettes in cultivation
This is a pretty little plant that likes to grow on very wet, bald patches of peat moss. It often grows as an annual, and it is suggested that seed be kept from each season to be re-sown in the spring.
Pinguicula agnata "C" - planted in decorative pot
Pinguicula agnata "Scented D" - flower side
Pinguicula agnata "Scented D" - flower front
There are many horticultural forms of Pinguicula agnata with ad-hoc names like "C","D", "purple flower" and "scented". Perhaps these are simply natural genetic variations, or maybe they are actual sub-species. More work will be required to solve this problem. The "scented" form has a sweet honey-like fragrance.
Pinguicula agnata - rosette side view with adventitious roots
This illustrates a common tendency of Pings to "pull up" off the ground by curling their leaves. The plant then develops adventitious roots to help anchor it to the substrate. In this regard, these plants can almost be thought of as epiphytes, getting little nourishment from the substrate, living mostly off of captured prey.
My experience is that the roots of these tropical pings are not very well adapted to absorbing nutrients. Plants potted up in a peat mix will often end up with rotted root systems. I generally pot up my mexican pings in a non-organic perlite/vermiculite mix, and feed them soley through the leaves with a monthly application of powdered egg-white.
As a supplement, the plants can occasionally be sprayed with a solution of Miracid fertilizer, diluted 1/4 teaspoon per gallon.
View of typical terrarium setup
For those without space for a greenhouse, it is easy to grow the tropical pings in and indoor terrarium. Here is a simple example. This is a two-tube fluorescent fixture. I now use a larger tank: 24"x24"x52" lit with 3 dual-tube, 4-foot long fixtures. This gives a total of six bulbs and 240 watts of fluorescent illumination, providing light useable for both Pings and Nepenthes.
The bottom of the terrarium is lined with a section of plastic 1/4" grid, purchased at the hardware store where it is sold as a light diffuser. Some people prefer to spray-paint the grid glossy black before using it. It provides a surface that allows the pots to freely drain, and makes it easy to keep water in the bottom of the tank for enhancing the humidity.
Pinguicula agnata - humidity demo
To see the difference in how Pings respond to humidity, I did a little experiment. The planting on the left was grown with no covering. The plants on the right were grown with an up-turned plastic cup for a humidity dome. Both pots were side-by-side in my small outdoor greenhouse. The plants grown with enhanced humidity are perhaps 4 times larger than the control plants. Thanks go to Tom Johnson for this growing tip!
Perhaps 95% of these tropical heterophyllous species come from
Mexico. They generally flower twice per year and exhibit different
leaf types in summer and winter. The plants are further divided
into calciphilious (calcium-loving), and calciphobic (calcium-hating).
P.gypsicola and P.heterophylla are examples of
the former, while
P. colimensis,
P.cyclosecta, P.ehlersia, P.esseriana,
P.moranensis, P.rotundiflora, and P. zecheri
are examples of the latter. The calciphilious forms appreciate high
pH media (either vermiculite based, or with an addition of limestone
or gypsum to the planting mix). The calciphobic species appreciate
a standard, acid CP mix like peat/sand.
Those species in bold font are common in collections, and
are illustrated in this tutorial. At the time of this talk (5/13/1994)
the other species were much more difficult to acquire. Due to advances
in tissue culture propagation, there is hope that some of these rarer
species will become available to hobbiests in the future.
Habitat locations are listed after each entry. Cultural hints, where
known, are given in brackets "[]".
See the key at the end of this table for details.
/p>
This is one of my favorite pings. It has a very tight, symmetric
rosette and produces a very showy display of tri-colored flowers
in the spring.
The winter rosette is tight and almost non-carnivorous.
The leaves will be plump - being almost D-shaped in cross section.
In the spring, the rosette will loosen up, and nearly double
in diameter. The spring leaves are much thinner and more glandular
than the winter leaves.
Pinguicula esseriana is very readily propagated from
winter leaf cuttings. Simply pull off some of the fleshy
basal leaves just before the start of spring growth. (Usually
the winter leaves almost fall off the plant when touched) Set the
leaves in a slight depression in moist peat moss. Make sure that
the old attachment point of the leaf is in contact with the substrate -
it is at this point that a new plant will form.
If you don't have grow plants outside, they might not get enough
cues (temperature and light photoperiod) to change their leaf form.
I drew these two pictures to illustrate the various parts of the
Pinguicula flower. Notice that many ping flowers are
glandular even on the scape (flowerstalk) and the backsides of the
petals.
There is a little flap hanging down over the anthers (the pollen-bearing
part of the flower). The front surface of this flap is the sticky,
receptive surface for pollenation. Because of the structure, the flower
is very rarely self-pollinated. When a moth or bee enters the flower,
it deposits pollen from other flowers onto the stigma and gets a load
of new pollen. When the pollenator exits, the little flap pops up
and protects the stigma from being self-pollinated.
To pollenate a ping manually you can use a small paint brush. The
first insertion of the brush gets a load of pollen. The second
insertion deposits the pollen on the stigma.
To self-pollenate, put the brush in twice. To cross pollenate, use
two brushes. Insert a different brush once into each of the plants,
swap brushes, and reinsert one more time only.
You may then want to put a little muslin bag around each flower to prevent
further cross-pollenation. Make sure and keep good records!
Pinguicula moranensis is perhaps the showiest and easiest
grower among the Mexican ping family. Individual plants can get
up to "dinner-plate" size. The two different "heterophyllous"
leaf forms add interest to the plant throughout the year.
Pinguicula gypsicola is known for it's long, thin
leaves. "Gypsicola" refers to the plant's love of gypsum-based,
alkaline growing soil.
This plant needs a very dry dormancy. Beginners often
rot this plant due to over-wet conditions in winter. Let it get
bone-dry!
The Temperate growth habit is shown here. If
the "generative", or flowering form of the plant is identical to the
"vegetative" or non-flowering form, then the plant is considered
to be "Homophyllous" (meaning One-Leaved). If the spring and autumn
forms are different, then the plant is considered "Heterophyllous"
(meaning Two-leaved").
The temperate, or cool growing pings differ from the tropical forms
in that they have a very strong dormancy, often retreating into a
winter hibernacula (bud) or gemmae during the winter. This is an
adaptation to freezing temperatures and low light levels.
The copius production of gemmae is used very effectively by some
species to asexually propagate the plant. Often the winter rains will
wash the gemmae downhill or downstream to colonize other habitats.
The Heteropyllous species flower once a year, form hibernacula,
and have two distinct leaf-forms during the growing season.
Those species in bold font are common in collections, and
are illustrated in this tutorial. At the time of this talk (5/13/1994)
the other species were much more difficult to acquire. Due to advances
in tissue culture propagation, there is hope that some of these rarer
species will become available to hobbiests in the future.
Habitat locations are listed after each entry. Cultural hints, where
known, are given in brackets "[]".
See the key at the end of this table for details.
These species flower once a year, form hibernacula, but only
have one leaf-form throughout the growing season.
This is the ping native to Northern California and Oregon.
This shows the gemmae newly planted out, and perhaps a month later
when they have burst into new growth.
Key to cultural hints:
A = Acid media
B = Basic media
H = Hibernacula forming
Temperature Key: Summer Winter: Growing period:
1 32-34F 46-68F 4-6 months
2 34-39F 59-84 7-9 months
3 26-34F 45-65F 3-4 months
4 40-55F 60-85F year-round
5 35-50F 70-90F year-round
Sources:
1) Jan Schlauer, Nomenclatural Synopsis of the Carnivorous
Phanerogamous Plants: The World Carnivorous Plant List.
2) Juerg Steiger, CPN V4 #1, pp8-18.
3) "Carnivorous Plants of the World" by James and Patricia
Pietropaolo, 1986.
4) Marcel Lecoufle, "Carnivorous Plants"
5) The International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter
No. 1-4, S.E. Lampard, 196, Hole Lane Northfield
Birmingham, B31 2DB England.
Pinguicula esseriana - rosette
Pinguicula esseriana - flower frontal
Pinguicula esseriana - flower oblique
Pinguicula esseriana - flower side view showing spur
Pinguicula ehlersiae - flower frontal
Pinguicula ehlersiae - flower pollenation
Pinguicula ehlersiae - flower & seed pods
General view of Ping planting in decorative pots (at Peter
D'Amato's CP Nursery)
Pinguicula moranensis - group planting
Pinguicula moranensis - flower frontal
Pinguicula kewensis? (from Oaxaca, Mexico)
Pinguicula moranensis v. rosei [sic]
Pinguicula gypsicola - winter rosette
Pinguicula gypsicola - summer rosette
Pinguicula rotundiflora - rosette in transition
Pinguicula rotundiflora - plant in side view showing flower and stubby spur
The Temperate (cool-growing) Pings
List of Temperate Heterophyllous species
List of Temperate Homophyllous species
Key to cultural hints:
A = Acid media
B = Basic media
H = Hibernacula forming
Temperature Key: Summer Winter: Growing period:
1 32-34F 46-68F 4-6 months
2 34-39F 59-84 7-9 months
3 26-34F 45-65F 3-4 months
4 40-55F 60-85F year-round
5 35-50F 70-90F year-round
Sources:
1) Jan Schlauer, Nomenclatural Synopsis of the Carnivorous
Phanerogamous Plants: The World Carnivorous Plant List.
2) Juerg Steiger, CPN V4 #1, pp8-18.
3) "Carnivorous Plants of the World" by James and Patricia
Pietropaolo, 1986.
4) Marcel Lecoufle, "Carnivorous Plants"
5) The International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter
No. 1-4, S.E. Lampard, 196, Hole Lane Northfield
Birmingham, B31 2DB England.
Pinguicula sp. (macroceras nortensis) - in habitat;
Gasquet, California
Pinguicula macroceras nortensis - in cultivation w/flower
Pinguicula macroceras nortensis - flower frontal
Pinguicula macroceras - tiny gemmae
Pinguicula macroceras - gemmae starting to open
Rick Walker
rick_walker "AT" omnisterra.com
Pinguicula lutea - flower bud
Pinguicula pumila - flower
Pinguicula caerulea - rosette
Pinguicula caerulea - flower
Pinguicula Flower Parts (1)
Pinguicula Flower Parts (2)
The temperate growth pattern
Pinguicula macroceras - in habitat w/ Darlingtonia
californica & Drosera rotundifolia ; Gasquet, California.