''Pinguicula planifolia,'' commonly known as Chapman's butterwort, is a species of

carnivorous 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, and occasionally small mammals and birds. They have adapted to grow in waterlo ...

belonging to the genus ''

Pinguicula ''Pinguicula'', commonly known as 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 they ...

''. The typical variety forms a purple (and sometimes pinkish or white) flower in blooming. Like other butterworts, it has sticky adhesive leaves that attract, capture and digest arthropod prey to supply the plant with nutrients. An identifying features of the Chapman's butterwort are the thin, flat leaves which often display a deep red to purple color when in full sun.

Naming

The species name, ''planifolia'', loosely translating to 'flat leaf,' comes from the Latin ''planus'', meaning flat and ''folis'', which means leaf.

Flowers

Another identifying feature of Chapman's butterwort are the flowers which differ from most ''Pinguicula'' by the deep notches in the

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s, with incisions close to half the petal length. Flowers are often purple, sometimes pinkish to white in color. The scape is often purple in color, covered in tiny hairs.

Distribution

It is native to the southeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, in southern Mississippi, Alabama, the panhandle region of Florida, and the extreme southeast extent of Louisiana.

Habitat

Throughout their distribution, Chapman's butterwort can be found alongside many other carnivorous plants including ''

Sarracenia ''Sarracenia'' ( or ) is a genus comprising 8 to 11 species of North American pitcher plants, commonly called trumpet pitchers. The genus belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which also contain the closely allied genera '' Darlingtonia'' and '' ...

'' and ''

Drosera ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genus, genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucil ...

''. Commonly found in depressions of pinelands,

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

s, wet prairies, and swamps, as well as man-made drainage ditches, retention ponds, and edges of roadways. Due to the moisture requirements of the plant, it is common for the habitat to be partially submerged during

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

s and due to weather phenomona. The Chapman's butterwort can thrive in a terrestrial, exposed environment, as well as fully submerged. Insects can be captured and digested above and under water. Chapman's butterwort is listed as

threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...

in the state of Florida due to habitat loss from drainage of wetlands, development, lack of prescribed burns, and illegal collection.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17712863 Carnivorous plants of North America planifolia Endemic flora of the United States Species described in 1957