What is a butterwort plant?

A butterwort is any of over 120 species of carnivorous plants within the genus Pinguicula . They have sticky glandular leaves that trap and digest small insects to supplement their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor soil. These low herbaceous plants have stalkless leaves, arranged in a whorl, that feel greasy to the touch. The leaves feature two types of glands: peduncular glands that secrete mucilage to attract and trap insects, and sessile glands that release digestive enzymes. Butterwort flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and can be lavender, pink, purple, yellow, or white. They reproduce sexually by seeds and asexually via offshoots. The common butterwort ( Pinguicula vulgaris ) is one of the most widespread species.

Where do butterwort plants usually grow?

Butterworts are carnivorous plants that have over 120 species and thrive in wetlands and moist, nutrient-poor soils. They can be located in subarctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, as well as Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The common butterwort ( Pinguicula vulgaris ) is one of the most widespread species, with populations in northern North America, Greenland, and Eurasia. The alpine butterwort ( P. alpina ) can be located in high-elevation mountain regions in Iceland, central and northern Europe, the Himalayas, and northern Asia.

How does the sticky surface of butterwort leaves help the plant survive?

The sticky surface of butterwort leaves helps the plant survive in nutrient-poor soils by trapping small insects, such as gnats and fruit flies, which supplement the plant's nutrient intake. The leaves have two types of glands: peduncular glands that secrete sticky mucilage to lure and trap insects, and sessile glands that release digestive enzymes. When an insect is trapped, some butterwort species curl their leaves inward, ensuring more mucilage flows to the insect and that nutrients are contained on the leaf surface as the insect is digested. The plant then absorbs the nutrient-rich fluids and uncurls its leaves.

What are some special features that distinguish butterworts from other carnivorous plants?

Butterworts, from the genus Pinguicula , are carnivorous plants characterized by sticky glandular leaves that capture and digest small insects to supplement nutrients from their nutrient-poor soil. A key feature of butterworts is their leaves, which feel greasy or "buttery" and are covered by peduncular glands that secrete mucilage to lure and trap insects. Some species' leaves curl toward the insect, aided by thigmotropism, to facilitate digestion. Sessile glands then release digestive enzymes, and the leaf absorbs the nutrient-rich fluids. Butterwort flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and can be lavender, pink, deep pink-purple, yellow, or white, depending on the species. Most butterwort species are found in very cold habitats, but some can tolerate warmer environments.

How are butterworts important to the ecosystems in which they live?

Butterworts, as angiosperms, play a role in their ecosystems by acting as a food source for other organisms. They trap solar energy through photosynthesis, converting it into chemical energy stored in their tissues. As herbivores consume butterworts, this energy transfers up the food chain. Butterworts have specialized leaves covered in mucilage-secreting glands to trap insects, which are then digested to supplement the plant's nutrient intake. They also provide habitats for other animals. For example, the tank bromeliad, which traps water in its crowns, provides a habitat for salamanders, frogs, and many aquatic insects and larvae. Threats such as drought, climate change, and habitat loss endanger butterwort populations.

Butterwort

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Purple flowers of the common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) with sticky yellow-green leaves, growing among rocks and moss near Nome, Alaska.

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Also called:: ping

Related Topics:: carnivorous plant; Lentibulariaceae

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Butterwort

plant

Also known as: Pinguicula, ping

Written by

Karen Sottosanti

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 14, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is a butterwort plant?
A butterwort is any of over 120 species of carnivorous plants within the genus Pinguicula. They have sticky glandular leaves that trap and digest small insects to supplement their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor soil.

These low herbaceous plants have stalkless leaves, arranged in a whorl, that feel greasy to the touch. The leaves feature two types of glands: peduncular glands that secrete mucilage to attract and trap insects, and sessile glands that release digestive enzymes.

Butterwort flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and can be lavender, pink, purple, yellow, or white. They reproduce sexually by seeds and asexually via offshoots. The common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) is one of the most widespread species.
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1. butterwort
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Where do butterwort plants usually grow?
Butterworts are carnivorous plants that have over 120 species and thrive in wetlands and moist, nutrient-poor soils. They can be located in subarctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, as well as Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

The common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) is one of the most widespread species, with populations in northern North America, Greenland, and Eurasia. The alpine butterwort (P. alpina) can be located in high-elevation mountain regions in Iceland, central and northern Europe, the Himalayas, and northern Asia.
1 Britannica Source
1. butterwort
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What do butterworts eat and how do they catch their food?
Butterworts are carnivorous plants that supplement their nutritional intake, especially nitrogen, from the insects they capture in the nutrient-poor soil where they grow. They eat small insects, such as fruit flies and gnats, as well as windblown pollen and insects with large wings.

Butterworts have sticky, glandular leaves covered with two types of glands: peduncular and sessile. The peduncular glands secrete mucilage, a sticky substance that attracts insects. When an insect gets stuck, some butterwort species curl their leaves inward to facilitate more mucilage flow. Sessile glands then release digestive enzymes to act on the insect's body. The plant absorbs the nutrient-rich fluids through holes on the leaf surface after the insect is digested.
1 Britannica Source
1. butterwort: Physical description
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does the sticky surface of butterwort leaves help the plant survive?
The sticky surface of butterwort leaves helps the plant survive in nutrient-poor soils by trapping small insects, such as gnats and fruit flies, which supplement the plant's nutrient intake. The leaves have two types of glands: peduncular glands that secrete sticky mucilage to lure and trap insects, and sessile glands that release digestive enzymes. When an insect is trapped, some butterwort species curl their leaves inward, ensuring more mucilage flows to the insect and that nutrients are contained on the leaf surface as the insect is digested. The plant then absorbs the nutrient-rich fluids and uncurls its leaves.
1 Britannica Source
1. butterwort: Physical description
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some special features that distinguish butterworts from other carnivorous plants?
Butterworts, from the genus Pinguicula, are carnivorous plants characterized by sticky glandular leaves that capture and digest small insects to supplement nutrients from their nutrient-poor soil.

A key feature of butterworts is their leaves, which feel greasy or "buttery" and are covered by peduncular glands that secrete mucilage to lure and trap insects. Some species' leaves curl toward the insect, aided by thigmotropism, to facilitate digestion. Sessile glands then release digestive enzymes, and the leaf absorbs the nutrient-rich fluids.

Butterwort flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and can be lavender, pink, deep pink-purple, yellow, or white, depending on the species. Most butterwort species are found in very cold habitats, but some can tolerate warmer environments.
1 Britannica Source
1. butterwort
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How are butterworts important to the ecosystems in which they live?
Butterworts, as angiosperms, play a role in their ecosystems by acting as a food source for other organisms. They trap solar energy through photosynthesis, converting it into chemical energy stored in their tissues. As herbivores consume butterworts, this energy transfers up the food chain.

Butterworts have specialized leaves covered in mucilage-secreting glands to trap insects, which are then digested to supplement the plant's nutrient intake. They also provide habitats for other animals. For example, the tank bromeliad, which traps water in its crowns, provides a habitat for salamanders, frogs, and many aquatic insects and larvae.

Threats such as drought, climate change, and habitat loss endanger butterwort populations.
2 Britannica Sources
1. butterwort: Physical description
2. angiosperm: Contribution to food chain
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Butterwort, (genus Pinguicula), genus of more than 120 species of small carnivorous plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. Butterworts are characterized by their sticky glandular leaves that capture and digest very small insects, such as fruit flies and gnats. Widely distributed, the plants can be found in wetlands and other moist habitats with nutrient-poor soil in subarctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere; they are also native to Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Like other carnivorous plants, butterworts are photosynthetic and manufacture their own food by using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water; the insect prey serve to supplement their intake of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, from the poor soils in which they live.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperm
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Pinguicula

See also list of carnivorous plants.

Physical description

Butterworts are low herbaceous plants with stalkless leaves that are typically arranged in a whorl near the ground. The leaves are greasy or “buttery” to the touch and are covered with two types of tiny specialized glands: peduncular and sessile. The peduncular glands are each formed of a single-celled stalk topped by several secretory cells. These secrete mucilage that looks like drops of water or nectar to insects and emits an attractive odor to lure prey. The sticky mucilage-covered leaves act like fly paper, trapping any small unfortunate insects that come in contact with it. In some butterwort species, a struggling insect triggers a directional leaf movement known as thigmotropism, in which the leaf margins curl toward the wriggling insect. Not only does this facilitate the flow of more mucilage from other peduncular glands toward the insect, but the rolled edges also help keep the nutrients contained on the leaf surface as the insect is digested. Once the peduncular glands have succeeded in luring and encasing the insect in mucilage, the sessile glands, which lie flat on the leaf surface, begin to release digestive enzymes that act on the insect’s body. The resultant nutrient-rich fluids are absorbed through cuticular holes in the leaf surface, and the leaf unrolls its margins after digestion is complete. In addition to small-bodied insects, butterworts are known to catch and digest windblown pollen as well as insects that have large wing surfaces that become ensnared on the leaves.

Butterwort flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and can be lavender, pink, deep pink-purple, yellow, or white, depending on the species. The tubular flowers have fused petals and only two anthers (pollen-producing structures); some species have pronounced nectar spurs to attract insect pollinators. The fruit is a capsule.

The plants can reproduce sexually, by seeds, and asexually, by means of offshoots. Species in cold climates form winter buds, called hibernacula, to survive winter, while the few butterworts in warmer climates commonly overwinter by losing their carnivorous leaves and growing succulent, noncarnivorous leaves in a rosette shape. Such species can be propagated by placing one of the succulent leaves on soil.

Major species and conservation

One of the most widespread species is the common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), with populations throughout much of northern North America, Greenland, and Eurasia. Alpine butterwort (P. alpina) is widely distributed in Eurasia and can be found in high elevation mountain regions in Iceland, through central and northern Europe, and into northern Asia and the Himalayas.

The majority of butterwort species are found in very cold habitats, with only a small number of species being able to tolerate nonfreezing winters and warmer summers. These include several species native to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, such as yellow butterwort (P. lutea), dwarf butterwort (P. pumila), southern butterwort (P. primuliflora), and blue butterwort (P. caerulea). Similarly, P. lusitanica along much of the Atlantic coast of Europe and the Mediterranean coast of northwestern Africa, P. crystallina along the northern Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe, and some Mexican and Central American species, such as P. moranensis, can thrive in less cold environments. P. moranensis is also popularly cultivated.

Threats to butterworts include drought, climate change, and habitat loss and degradation. One Spanish species, tirañuela de Sierra Nevada (P. nevadensis), is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Another, P. fontiqueriana, is listed as vulnerable to extinction in its native Morocco, and its populations continue to decline.