''Pinguicula acuminata'' is an

insectivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants still generate some of their energy from photosynthesis. Car ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Pinguicula ''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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

, a member of the

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

'' Heterophyllum''. It is notable for producing flowers while the winter rosette is buried beneath the soil surface. Described in 1839, it was not rediscovered until 150 years later.

Morphology

''Pinguicula acuminata'' is a perennial rosetted

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

bearing stiff, ground-hugging

ovate Ovate may refer to: *Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ovat ...

to cordiform acuminate 22–92 mm. (-3 in.) long leaves. These are borne on unusually long petioles (20–58 mm or –1 in), which allow the stem base to remain buried slightly underground.Luhrs, Hans. 1994 ''Pinguicula acuminata''; ''

International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter The ''International Pinguicula Study Group Newsletter'' was the official publication of the International ''Pinguicula'' Study Group, a ''Pinguicula'' society based in the United Kingdom that was active during the 1990s.insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

prey and absorb the resulting nutrient mixture to supplement their nitrate-low environment. During dryer winter conditions when food is scarce, ''P. acuminata'' forms winter rosettes of short, non-carnivorous leaves to decrease the loss of energy used on carnivorous mechanisms. In this species the entire winter rosette is withdrawn slightly beneath the soil surface, leaving only the shriveled summer leaves visible. 2-4 white to lilac flowers, borne singly on 74–150 mm. stalks, appear between March and May, before the carnivorous summer leaves emerge.

Distribution and habitat

''Pinguicula acuminata'' is known only from 8 locations in and around the El Chico municipality in the state of

. Here it grows on well-shaded mossy banks between 2400 and 2800 meters in altitude. It often grows in association with ''

Pinguicula moranensis ''Pinguicula moranensis'' is a perennial rosette-forming insectivorous herb native to Mexico and Guatemala. A species of butterwort, it forms summer rosettes of flat, succulent leaves up to 10 centimeters (4 in) long, which are ...

'', as well as an assortment of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es,

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s, and

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

Botanical history

''Pinguicula acuminata'' was first discovered and described by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

in 1839, based solely on the winter rosette. Ernst studied herbarium material in 1961, and Casper used his description when publishing his monograph of the genus in 1966.Casper, S.J. 1966. Monographie der Gattung Pinguicula L. Heft 127/128, Vol 31. Stuttgart: Bibliotheca Botanica Live specimens of the plant in its summer growth were not observed until Hans Luhrs rediscovered the species in 1989. The species has since entered cultivation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7195832 Carnivorous plants of North America acuminata Endemic flora of Mexico Plants described in 1839