Long-leaved butterwort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long-leaved butterwort |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pinguicula
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| Species: |
longifolia
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The Pinguicula longifolia, also known as the long-leaved butterwort, is a special plant that eats insects. It's a type of carnivorous plant that lives for many years. You can find it in the Pyrenees mountains, which are between France and Spain. This plant grows in high places, usually between 700 and 1900 meters above sea level.
Like other carnivorous plants, the long-leaved butterwort catches insects because the soil where it grows doesn't have enough nutrients. It gets important things like nitrogen from the insects it eats.
Contents
How it Catches Food
The long-leaved butterwort has special leaves that lie flat on the ground. These leaves are covered with tiny, sticky hairs called glands. Each gland has a small drop of sticky liquid on top, like glue. When an insect, especially a flying insect like a fly, lands on the leaf, it gets stuck in this sticky goo. The plant then slowly digests the insect to get the nutrients it needs.
Where it Lives
This plant prefers wet, shady places. It often grows on wet, rocky surfaces, like vertical or overhanging limestone walls. It needs these specific conditions to thrive in the Pyrenees mountains.
Life Cycle of the Butterwort
The long-leaved butterwort goes through different stages throughout the year.
Spring Growth
In the spring, after the cold winter, the plant's winter buds start to open. These buds are like protective casings. As they open, the first sticky, carnivorous leaves appear. These are the leaves that will start catching insects.
Summer Development
As summer begins, beautiful flowers grow from the plant. Throughout the summer, the carnivorous leaves continue to grow longer, sometimes reaching up to 14 centimeters (about 5.5 inches). A special feature of this plant is that its leaves have sticky glands on both sides, which helps it catch more prey. New carnivorous leaves keep growing all summer long.
Preparing for Winter
When autumn arrives and the weather starts to get cold, the plant prepares for winter. It stops growing new carnivorous leaves. Instead, it forms a special protective bud in the center of its leaves. This bud is called a hibernaculum, and it's made of scale-like leaves. The old, sticky leaves then wither and die. The hibernaculum helps the plant survive the cold winter months in a resting state. For the plant to survive winter well, it needs to have grown strongly during the summer. If it doesn't grow enough, its winter bud can be weak and might rot easily.
Threats to the Plant
The long-leaved butterwort is special because it only grows in the Pyrenees mountains. This makes it an endemic species. Because it lives in such a specific area, it faces some challenges:
- Habitat Loss: If its natural home is destroyed or changed, there will be less space for these plants to grow and spread.
- Collection: Some people who are very interested in carnivorous plants might try to collect rare specimens from the wild. This can harm the plant's populations and make them even rarer.
Uses of Butterwort Plants
For hundreds of years, people have found uses for plants in the Pinguicula genus, including the long-leaved butterwort.
- Natural Medicine: These plants produce a strong substance that can kill bacteria. This is useful for the plant because it stops captured insects from rotting while the plant digests them. People in Europe have known about this property for centuries. They used to apply the plant's juices to wounds on their cattle to help them heal.
- Food Production: The leaves of butterwort plants have also been used to curdle milk. For example, they were used to turn goat's milk into Filmjölk, which is a type of fermented milk product popular in Sweden.
See also
In Spanish: Grasilla para niños
