Lentibulariáceas
Lentibulariaceae
The largest family of carnivorous plants, with three genera and over 350 species: Pinguicula (butterworts, ~100 sp, sticky traps), Utricularia (bladderworts, ~215 sp, vacuum traps aquatic and terrestrial), and Genlisea (~30 sp, corkscrew traps). Cosmopolitan, adapted to a huge variety of habitats from arctic tundra to the tropics. Utricularia is the most species-diverse genus of carnivorous plants in the world.
Genlisea
Genlisea
Genus of ~30 species with a unique trapping system: spiral (corkscrew-shaped) traps that capture protists and nematodes from the soil. Underground leaves form an inverted "Y" with two helical tubular arms. Microorganisms enter attracted by chemotaxis but cannot retreat due to internal trichomes. Aerial leaves are simple photosynthetic rosettes. They have the smallest known genomes in flowering plants (some <65 Mb). Distributed in tropical South America and Africa.
Pinguicula
Pinguicula
Genus of ~100 species of butterworts with cosmopolitan distribution. The flat, fleshy leaves are covered with mucilage-secreting and digestive enzyme glands. Mainly capture midges, springtails, and moss spores. Wide morphological and ecological variability: from temperate European species (P. vulgaris, P. grandiflora) to Mexican succulents (P. gypsicola, P. gigantea) that are very popular in cultivation for their attractive flowers.
Utricularia
Utricularia
The most species-diverse genus of carnivorous plants in the world with ~215 species, and the only one with active vacuum traps. Utricles are tiny bladders (0.5-6 mm) that maintain negative pressure and capture prey in milliseconds via a trap door. Ecologically very diverse: aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial in bogs. Some barely visible to the naked eye; others with showy flowers. Present on all continents except Antarctica.