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Two new species of carnivorous plants have been discovered. Where do they grow?
An international team of scientists has come across two new species of insectivorous plants. They were found in Ecuador, near the border with Peru. One of the plants grew on a rock standing almost vertically.
Carnivorous plants are not often found in nature. Therefore, the discovery of a new species is a celebration not only for botanists. So far, only about 650 species of such plants are known. Six months ago, scientists reported finding a carnivorous plant in Borneo. It was an underground pitcher plant that preyed on ants, beetles and beetles.
This time, scientists from Ecuador, Germany and the United States came across a trail of insect-eating plants. In the upper parts of the Andes, at altitudes of about 3,000 meters above sea level, they came across new representatives of the genus Pinguicula, or butterwort.
Carnivorous plants: what do we know about the two new species?
Pinguicula is a genus with 115 species. It includes insectivorous plants that have developed sticky leaves. With their help, they capture and then digest insects. This gives them nutritional compounds that are often lacking in poor soil. Fatheads can grow in swampy areas, but also on rocks and on cliffs.
