Q: Carnivorous plants of Central America and the Caribbean.
Central America
A: Despite the enormous biodiversity of Central America, there are surprisingly few carnivorous
plants from this region. The most interesting endemic carnivorous plant species are the fascinating
Pinguicula of the Caribbean. Other than that, the region has some nice
Utricularia, including a few endemics.
On this page I list all of the native carnivorous plants that are known from the Caribbean, i.e., from the Bahamas south to
Trinidad and Tobago and the Antilles. I also include the countries southward of Mexico, from Guatemala and Belize to Panama.
Small contributions
Let us start with a few genera for which only a few species are present. None are endemic to the region.
Drosera
capillaris
Drosera
brevifolia
- Catopsis berteroniana: The Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala); also USA, México, and South America.
- Drosera brevifolia: The Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Belize); also USA, México, and South America.
- Drosera capillaris: The Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Costa Rica); also USA, México, and South America.
- Drosera cayennensis (as "D. panamensis"): Central America (Panama).
- Drosera intermedia: The Caribbean (Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago); also USA, South America, and Europe.
- Drosera kaieteurensis : The Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
- Genlisea filiformis: The Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Belize and Guatemala); also South America.
- Genlisea pygmaea: The Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
Pinguicula
While Central America is not very useful for this genus, the Caribbean adds a large number of very interesting species; Cuba
is particularly rich in species!
Pinguicula
pumila
Pinguicula
moranensis
- P. albida (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. benedicta (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. bissei (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. caryophyllacea (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. casabitoana (endemic): The Caribbean (Dominican Republic).
- P. clivorum: Central America (Guatemala); also México.
- P. crenatiloba: Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama); also México.
- P. cubensis (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. filifolia (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. infundibuliformis (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. jackii (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. jaraguana (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. lignicola (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. lilacina: Central America (Belize, Guatemala); also México.
- P. lippoldii (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. lithophytica (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
- P. mesophytica (endemic): Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras).
- P. moranensis: Central America (Guatemala); also México.
- P. orchidioides: Central America (Guatemala); also México.
- P. pumila: The Caribbean (Bahamas); also USA.
- P. toldensis (endemic): The Caribbean (Cuba).
Utricularia
Finally, this genus adds a large number of species, as to be expected. The only endemics are
U. incisa, U. panamensis, and U. praetermissa.
Utricularia
purpurea
Utricularia
olivacea
Utricularia
gibba
Utricularia
cornuta
- U. adpressa: Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
- U. alpina: The Caribbean (Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
- U. amethystina: Caribbean (Dominican Republic and Dominica) and Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama); also USA (at least formerly), México, and South America.
- U. benjaminiana: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Honduras and Nicaragua); also South America and Africa.
- U. breviscapa: Caribbean (Cuba); also South America.
- U. cornuta: Caribbean (Bahamas and Cuba); also USA and Canada.
- U. cucullata: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
- U. endresii: Central America (Costa Rica and Panama); also South America.
- U. erectiflora: Central America (Belize and Nicaragua); also México and South America.
- U. foliosa: Caribbean (Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama); also USA, México, South America, and Africa.
- U. gibba: Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama); global in range!
- U. guyanensis: Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize and Guatemala); also South America.
- U. hispida: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua); also México and South America.
- U. hydrocarpa: Caribbean (Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama); also México and South America.
- U. incisa (endemic): Caribbean (Cuba).
- U. jamesoniana: Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Dominica) and Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama); also South America.
- U. juncea: Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua); also USA, México, and South America.
- U. lloydii: Central America (Panama); also South America.
- U. myriocista: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Costa Rica); also South America.
- U. olivacea: Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Nicaragua); also USA and South America.
- U. panamensis (endemic): Central America (Panama).
- U. praetermissa (endemic): Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama).
- U. pubescens: Central America (Panama); also South America, Africa, and Asia.
- U. purpurea: Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica); also Canada, USA, and México.
- U. pusilla: Caribbean (Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama); also México and South America.
- U. resupinata: Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Belize and Nicaragua); also Canada and the USA.
- U. simulans: Caribbean (Cuba) and Central America (Belize); also USA, South America, and Africa.
- U. subulata: Caribbean (Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama); also pantropical!
- U. tenuissima: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago); also South America.
- U. trichophylla: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize and Nicaragua); also South America.
- U. triloba: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize); also South America.
- U. unifolia: Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama); also South America.
- U. viscosa: Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago) and Central America (Belize); also South America.
Page citations: Casper, J. 1966; Rice, B.A. 2006a; Schlauer, J. 2002; Taylor, P. 1989.
