Pinguicula utricularioides

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TAXONOMY:

Family : Lentibulariaceae

Genus : Pinguicula

Name : Pinguicula utricularioides

Sub-classification (Casper) : link

Publication : Acta Botanica Mexicana (1991), 14 : 23 - 32

By Sergio Zamudio and Jerzy Rzedowski, 

"Dos Especies nuevas de Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) del estado de Oaxaca, Mexico".

DESCRIPTION : (by Sergio Zamudio and Jerzy Rzedowski)

Herba perennis. Folia radicalia dimorpha; interiora (probaliter "hiemalia") 14 - 23, spathulata, 5 - 20 mm longa, 1 - 2.5 mm lata; exteriora ("aestivalia"?) longe petiolata, laminae induplicatae, sacciformes, 2 - 4 m diametro, petioli lineares, 10 - 25 mm longi. Pedunculi erecti, villosi. Flores 27 - 37 mm longi (calcare incluso); calyx bilabiatus, labium superum trilobatum, lobis oblongis, 2 - 3 mm longis, 1 - 2 mm latis, labium inferum indivisum, oblongum, 2 - 3.5 mm longum, 2 - 2.5 mm latum, apice truncatum vel emarginatum; corolla bilabiata, rubra (rubro-scarlatina fide MacDougall), labium superum bilobatum, lobis obovato-cumeatis, apice emarginatis, 4.5 - 10 mm longis, 4 - 7 mm latis; labium inferum quam supero majus, trilobatum, lobis obovatis usque ad ellipticis, 8 - 11 mm longis, 5 - 10 mm latis, tubus infundibuliformis, 17 - 23 mm longus, 5 - 10 mm latus, intus dense pubescens, pilis subulatis, multicellularibus, retrorsis, palatum nullum; calcar subulatum, brevissimum, 5 - 8 mm longu. Ovarium subglobosum. Capsula ignota. Semina ignota.

translation :

 - Soon - 

ORIGIN AND HISTORY :

Jan Schlauer, Wed, 31 Jan 1996, in ICPS forum, wrote :

 

"Pinguicula utricularioides, collected only once and described quite recently by ZAMUDIO & RZEDOWSKI, is rather certainly one of the most spectacular and intriguing species in this genus. It shows at least two "utricularioid" features (reminiscent of Utricularia). The first, more obvious one is the leaves of the "summer" (?) rosette which are long petiolate and which have a deeply spoon shaped lamina, almost bladder-like and somewhat resembling Utricularia traps (especially those of the assumedly primitive rosetted members of sectt. Polypompholyx-Pleiochasia) in outline and their position on the plant. The leaves of the "winter" (?) rosette being flat and "normal". The second feature is somewhat more obscre but perhaps more significant regarding systematic affiliations: The (2) lobes of the lower calyx lip are almost entirely fused with each other, a condition we meet again in Utricularia (where both calyx lips consist of the fused lobes). 

Thus, this species might represent a (close?) descendant from an extinct 
link between the three lentibulariaceous genera. Note that S Mexico (P.utricularioides was found near Niltepec in Oaxaca) is close to areas where all three genera occur together even nowadays (with none of the allegedly most primitive members of Utricularia, however). 

The scarlet red corolla (with a very pronounced tube, like in P.laueana) must be rather showy in vivo. 

Unfortunately, the habitat of P.utricularioides is difficult to reach, and this interesting species still awaits introduction into cultivation." 

 

Laurent Legendre gives his opinion about this "missing link" :

"Three years back I applied for receiving a herbarium specimen of this species. If I remember well, there are 3 worldwide and Dr. Zamudio made his descriptions on the dried materials only. I wrote to the 3 places and 1 replied to me positively. It was from MEXU and labelled Instituto de Ecologia centro regionale del Bajio. The specimen number is 082041. I looked at the specimen carefully under the microscope. There are 3 plants on the sheet and a long series of detached leaves. The flowers are very much like the ones pictured by Ed. The rosettes show similar leaves except for a couple very long, thin petiole leaves that extend outside the rosette and show the pitcher phenotype on their tip. From a distance, they look like hollow, pointed, seed capsules without sepals.  

They do not look like the champagne cup phenotype that sometime appear on some Pinguicula in cultivation. No insect inside. Nothing of the appendages of current Utricularia pitchers. No door, door step. Because only 2 leaves presented this phenotype, I could not see enough to have a realistic view of their exact shape. I could not discard the idea that they could be the remains of under-developed summer leaves that could have a bit of resemblence with P. parvifolia / P. acuminata.... The flower is more P. laueana type. It also bears a modern Pinguicula shape which, to me, is the hardest evidence that it may not be the missing link ! "

Localisation / Map: 

Collected by T. MacDougall in 1956, Oaxaca, Cerro Azul at north of Niltepec, alt. 6000 - 7000 ft..

(click on the map for better location and relief map)

THREATS :

No data

HABITAT:  

No data

TEMPERATURE and PRECIPITATIONS :

Click on the graph to enlarge and see the graph of normal precipitation and normal average temperatures. Normal values are 30-year averages for the period 1961 to 1990. The weather stations are grouped by region (see map of weather stations).

 

    

Introduction in culture :

Never introduced in culture up to now.

CULTURE AND MULTIPLICATION : 

(North hemisphere, France near Paris, in a polycarbonate greenhouse - see the map -)   

Life cycle :  / 

 

Media :  / 

 

Pot : /

 

Cultivation : /

Multiplication : /   

PICTURES: (click to enlarge)