Sunday 6 November 2022

Pinguicula flowering

I got some Pinguicula butterworts a few years ago.   Butterworts are carnivorous plants that have sticky leaves, similar to sundews but without the glandular hairs.  They prefer to be a lot drier than most species of sundews, but still require a lot of water.  

I grow them with a wick that goes down into a reservoir of water, similar to how I grow African violets.  They seem to like similar light levels to African violets too.  I have been told by a very knowledgeable grower that many species of Pinguicula should be grown almost exactly the same as African violets, just without the fertiliser.

They have grown well in the time that I have had them.  They go reasonably dormant over winter and get chubby little non-carnivorous leaves.  Then once spring arrives they grow larger carnivorous leaves again.  

Pings are such lovely little carnivorous plants.  

This year as they are emerging from dormancy one of them is flowering!  


Looking at the flower I can't imagine that they are self pollinating.  Given their morphology I don't think I have the ability to pollinate this one without destroying it.  So chances are it will not produce any seed.  

I don't care about that too much, I am enjoying growing these plants and think the flower looks nice.  The flower has stayed on the plant for a few weeks now, which was unexpected.





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