have flat, sticky leaves that function like a cross between flypaper and a stomach. Some manufacturers of yogurt still use the same process to produce their yogurt. Basis for Listing. Only a moving action can trigger the closing of leaves. Apart from its traditional uses as a medicinal herb, butterwort has long been used in Scandinavian countries to curdle milk. Its alternative names bog violet and marsh violet is due to its bright purple flowers. Synonyms. americana. The sides of the leaves roll over to enclose the insect while it is digested. Common butterwort’s habitat is mainly in northern Finland and roughly from the bottom of the Bay of Bothnia northwards it is quite common in all kinds of damp places. In the 1960s S. Jost Caspar accumulated all known Butterwort genus information up until that point in a large monograph. To thrive well, the common butterwort needs a sunny to half-shady location. Some annuals. In North America, it ranges from Newfoundland to Alaska, south to northern New England, and westward to northeastern Minnesota. Tinted red, yellow, or green. When insects land on a butterwort’s leaves, they … Violet butterwort is a carnivorous plant that catches unwary insects on its sticky leaves and digests them with enzymes exuded on the leaf surface. This is probably the coolest type of trap. Flowers: Spring through to summer. They are five-parted and end at 5 to 13 centimeters (2 to 5 in) long, leafless flower stems. Growing Region: Zones 5 to 10. The common butterwort has pretty purple, violet-like flowers. Height: 5 to 8 inches (13—20 cm). The most common plant that uses the passive sticky trap method is the butterwort. Pinguicula vulgaris var. Common Names: Butterwort. Butterworts. In southern and central Finland it grows mainly in the eastern part of the country in fen-like … If you feed them with dead insects, they won’t accept! Life Cycle: Half-hardy perennial. Venus flytraps can supply some interesting facts about carnivorous plants. Upon the Berlin Wall falling in the late 1980s, Herr Caspar, a botanist from East Germany, was surprised that Butterworts had become common windowsill plants in the outside world. More Facts About Butterewort Milk Curdling. It is an extremely rare plant in New England, found on boreal and subalpine cliffs, gullies, and slabs, often in the presence of high-pH bedrock. Native: Americas, Europe, northern Asia. Flowers are on a long stalk to avoid trapping pollinators. source. Butterwort Uses and Benefits. Pinguicula Growing and Care Guide. “Suction traps” are absolutely amazing to watch. Pinguicula vulgaris, the common butterwort, is a perennial carnivorous plant in the bladderwort family, Lentibulariaceae.It grows to a height of 3–16 cm, and is topped with a purple, and occasionally white, flower that is 15 mm or longer, and shaped like a funnel. 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