Q: What carnivorous plants live in México?

• P. reticulata
• P. moranensis
• P. gypsicola
• P. esseriana
• Passiflora foetida
• Ibicella lutea

A: With a diversity of habitats, México contributes well to our global carnivorous plant biodiversity. It is home to species of Drosera, Genlisea, Utricularia, Pinguicula, and Catopsis. México is also home to Passiflora foetida and Capsella bursa-pastoris, two plants that may or may not be carnivorous. Furthermore, while I have not yet found citable references to support me, I suspect that the non-native Ibicella lutea also occurs in México.

The strength of México's carnivorous plant biodiversity is surely in the genus Pinguicula. The list of Mexican species includes about fifty species, nearly all of which are endemic--many carnivorous plant aficionados visit the country just to see plants in this genus! The states of Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, and Nuevo León have at least five species each. Oaxaca is the clear winner, with at least fourteen species, i.e., nearly twice as many species as the other most species-rich states.

• D. capillaris
• D. brevifolia

Only two species of Drosera are known to occur in México: Drosera brevifolia (in Chiapas) and Drosera capillaris (in Veracruz, Chiapas, and Tabasco). However, Drosera capillaris is a variable species, and future studies may reveal that what we call D. capillaris is actually a set of as-yet unrecognized but similar species. Furthermore, I would not be surprised if Drosera intermedia occurs in México, as its range includes the USA and Cuba.

Only one species of Genlisea is known from México, and that is G. filiformis, having been collected twice from the same location in Chiapas.

In the genus Utricularia, we know of the following species:

U. amethystina: Guerrero, México.

U. foliosa: Campeche, México, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán.

• U. gibba
• U. amethystina

U. gibba: Campeche, Chiapas, Coahuila, Durango, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán.

U. hintonii: México--known only from a few collections!

U. hispida: Veracruz. Taylor also notes it occurs in Tehuantepec, which is the narrow isthmus in southern Mexico, but this includes parts of a few states (including Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco), so some of these states may have U. hispida in them.

U. hydrocarpa: Tabasco--a Central and South American species collected only once in México.

U. juncea: Veracruz.

U. livida: Chiapas, Chihuahau, Durango, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Veracruz, Zacatecas.

• U. purpurea
• U. macrorhiza
• U. livida

U. macrorhiza: Baja California, Coahuila, México.

U. petersoniae: Guerrero--known from only three closely spaced locations.

U. perversa: Chihuahua, Guanajuato.

U. purpurea: Veracruz.

U. pusila: Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Nayarit, Veracruz.

U. subulata: Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Nayarit, Tabasco.

The species U. resupinata and U. olivacea occur in countries adjacent to México, and are candidates for being detected there in the future. The species U. hintonii and U. petersoniae are endemic to México.

Are there yet other species that have not been discovered, or is our knowledge of the ranges of the species above incomplete? Claro que sí!

Page citations: Rivadavis, F. 2008 (pers. comm.); García, M.O. & Martínez S., E. 2002; Rice, B.A. 2006a; Taylor, P. 1989; USDA, GRIN, accessed 8/2008; personal observation.