Two new distinct carnivorous plants have been identified by botanists from Ecuador, Germany, and the United States. These plants are all members of the butterworts family (genus Pinguicula), a genus of insectivorous flowers that includes around 115 species. Their leaves have a sticky texture that allows them to capture and digest small insects.
Carnivorous plants, often found in nutrient-poor soil, rely on animals, usually tiny insects, as supplemental nutrient sources. This unique adaptation gives them an advantage over other plants, facilitating their survival in difficult environments. These include marshlands and rocky terrain constantly drenched in rain and shrouded in clouds.
Pinguicula jimburensis and Pinguicula ombrophila, were discovered on the shore of a highland lagoon at 3400 m and on a nearly vertical rock face at 2900 m, respectively. This small-scale habitat area is situated within the Amotape-Huancabamba area, which covers large areas of southern Ecuador and northern Peru.
Tilo Henning of the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is a specialist in this plant family in this region. Henning and his coworkers first discovered the plants.
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