Pinguicula vulgaris

Mean fat (Pinguicula vulgaris)

Called The Common Butterwort, even ordinary fat herb, Blue Butterwort, or Kiwitzfettkraut ( Pinguicula vulgaris), a carnivorous plant in the genus of herbs is fat ( Pinguicula ), in the section Pinguicula.

Description

The congregation fat herb is a perennial herbaceous plant. According to the carnivorous lifestyle the root system is very weak, it consists of numerous, white, and short, fine hair roots. They are only 1-3 cm long, die in the formation of winter buds and are replaced by new ones every year.

Five to eleven fleshy, yellowish to light green, oblong- elliptic leaves form a flat rosette lying on the ground with up to 16 cm in diameter. On the surface, the leaves are sticky secretion from catching covers, with which it (eg fungus gnats, ants) catch small insects, as well as pollen and when prey is achieved by digesting enzymes.

From May to August, the flourishes Common Butterwort to one to six up to 15 cm high, growing from the center of the rosette flower stalks pink - purple with white throat patch in single, zygomorpher, 10 to 13 mm long, Spurred bloom. The egg-shaped fruit is forming capsules carry plenty of fine, black seeds.

Dissemination

The plant is found in almost all European countries (including Greenland ), Russia, the USA and Canada. It is beside the Alpine - fat (Pinguicula alpina ) is the only fat herb that is also found in Germany.

Habitats

She appreciates wet, acidic soils, but is kalkverträglich.

Ecology

After the capture of prey divorced numerous small, the leaf surface tightly seated glands digestive secretions (protein -splitting, but also starch -splitting enzymes and nucleic acids ) from and absorb later the soluble fission products. Since no holes remain in the cuticle, which is to protect the leaf from drying out, relieved, the plants are dependent on humid locations. About 40,000 glands are present per leaf. In the digestive process, the leaves roll up gradually from the edge, especially in the area of ​​prey. A result, the animals come into contact with even more glands and digestion products are better retained on the sheet. Even in wehter pollen is retained and digested. Specifically, in this way can than 50% of the captured protein from pollen derived.

The flowers are small, standing by over- curvature of the peduncle on the head, vorweibliche "Revenge flowers". The long flower stems are designed to prevent the trapping potential pollinators. Pollination is mostly by bees, but also self-pollination is successful. Formerly the flowers were interpreted mainly as a "flying clamp traps " because by backward blocking hairs of the inflorescence visitors, especially flies, are forced to pry itself, where they press against the stigma and anthers. Too big to fly stall there and starve. Instead of nectar are located in the spur mucus hair that well but are available only to deceive the visitors. The plant begins only after several years to bloom.

The fruits are 2- klappig dehiscent, only in dry open, vielsamige capsules, standing on a dry stalk. They act as wind and animal shakers. The tiny seeds are grains flyer and have no endosperm; they are light to germinate and due to their network-like surface structure, they are buoyant. Fruit ripening extends from June / July to September.

The plant is a Hemikryptophyt, the Hibernation takes place in a starch-storing, the floor resting, onion-like winter bud, called Hibernakel, the shoots emerging in spring. A vegetative propagation by means of approx 3mm bulbils that form during or after flowering in the leaf axils; winter buds can also be moved through snow or animals.

Threats and conservation

The congregation fat herb is not in immediate danger because of its geographically widespread, but is generally understood in Europe in the fall. In Germany it is considered endangered and is protected by the Federal Species Protection Ordinance. In Switzerland it is partly protected at the cantonal level, applies, however, largely as safely.

System

Since the description of the commons fat herb subspecies, varieties and forms have always been distinguished, but at present none of these taxa is recognized.

Currently, however, the spin-off of two types discussed: firstly, a Czech Art Pinguicula bohemica, which has a different number of chromosomes, namely 2n = 32, in contrast to 2n = 64 in the commons Butterwort. Secondly, the species status of Pinguicula gypsophila will be discussed again, an endemic in the southern Harz plant that grows exclusively on plaster.

Use

The Common Butterwort was formerly used as a medicinal plant. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, reported from the use against chapped skin, for pain relief, tuberculosis and broken bones, but also noted a laxative effect to.

Folk medicine distinguished the different types of fat herbs are not on, but used them against wounds, swellings, sciatica, liver disease and stomach, breast and lung diseases. Your benefits against the said diseases is attributed to the cinnamic acid contained in the plant. Today, the use is uncommon.

As already reported Carl Linnaeus in his Flora Lapponica, is used in northern Scandinavia Butterwort for the production of certain sour milk products such as Sweden milk. The vessels in which the milk is cooked Sweden, rubbed with fat herb.

Swell

• Siegfried Jost Casper: Monograph of the genus Pinguicula. Bibliotheca Botanica, No. 127/128, Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 1966.
• Maria Teresa Della Beffa: alpine flowers. Klagenfurt 1998.
• Wilhelm Barthlott, Stefan Porembski, Rudiger Seine and Inge Theisen: Carnivorous Plants: Biology and culture of carnivorous plants. Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-4144-2.