Pinguicula Laueana * Red Mexican Butterwort * Carnivorous * Rare 5 Seeds *

THIS LISTING IS FOR 5 SEEDS OF PINGUICULA LAUEANA Pinguicula laueana is known for its red flowers, a rarity among Pinguicula. Discovered by Alfred Lau in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Pinguicula laueana – a clever little brute in a pretty scarlet-red suit Although this plant looks quite innocent and harmless with gorgeous red flowers and small, compact leaved rosettes, it ‘eats’ with great appetite little insects using unique, highly sophisticated and efficient traps. Together with the genera Genlisea and Utricularia, Pinguicula belongs to the Lentibulariaceae, commonly known as the Bladderwort family. All family members are carnivorous plants. The species P. laueana is a new discovery from the eighties of the 20th Century. The perennial Pinguicula laueana is a species of the tropical climate forming a ‘tropical heterophyllous growth type’, which means that they produce two different leaf rosette types. During the humid summer months, larger leaves are formed, and in the drier winter months small, tightly packed leaves and a bud-like structure develop. The winter rosette tolerates desiccation and moreover, less glandular secretions are present on the surface of the winter leaves, so less prey are caught. To date Pinguicula laueana is the only species known to have bright scarlet-red flowers. The zygomorphic, unique and stunning flower is made up of five partially fused petals, two in an upper lip and three in a lower lip. They flourish in their natural habitat from April to August, however, they can even bloom in cultivation during the winter. The peduncle and the flowers are provided with dense glandular hairs. An unusually long nectar containing spur, formed by the abaxial petal, which can be up to twice as long as the flower itself, gives the this carnivores plant an elegant look. Based on the flower structure, mainly because of the elongated spur, it is believed that the plant is pollinated by insects with long proboscis. the pollination by insects and assume that it is pollinated by small bees.