What is the common name of Pinguicula vulgaris?

The common name of Pinguicula vulgaris is common butterwort.

This perennial carnivorous plant belongs to the butterwort genus, Pinguicula, in the bladderwort family, Lentibulariaceae. Its low rosette of leaves is usually found in damp bogs, fens, swamps, and other cool, nutrient-poor habitats across much of Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.

The name “butterwort” refers to the leaves’ greasy-looking surface. Glands on those leaves release a sticky fluid that traps small insects; other glands produce enzymes that digest the prey. The plant gains nitrogen this way because its acidic or otherwise poor soils provide limited nutrients.

It is easy to confuse butterwort with other carnivorous plants in this quiz. Pitcher plants use tubular traps, sundews use hair-like sticky tentacles, and bladderworts use tiny underwater bladder traps. Pinguicula vulgaris instead relies on broad, adhesive leaves. Its purple, occasionally white, funnel-shaped flowers rise above the rosette, and the plant survives cold winters by forming a resting bud called a hibernaculum.