Q: Carnivorous plants of South America--a land of grotesque wealth!
South America
A:
South America is truly glutted with carnivorous plants! Not only does it have species from several genera, it is endowed
with the tepuis of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, where Heliamphora and other spectacular carnivorous
plants grow. On this page I will mention these and all of the other carnivorous plants that are known from the thirteen
countries that comprise South America. (Trinidad and Tobago are treated as part of the Caribbean.)
Smaller genera
Let's cover the easy groups first. The following plants are in South America:
- Brocchinia hechtioides and B. reducta: endemics in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- Catopsis berteroniana: Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil; also North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
- Heliamphora: the entire genus is endemic to Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil.
Pinguicula
A set of species occur in South America, all of which are endemic to the region:
- P. antarctica (endemic): Argentina and Chile.
- P. calyptrata (endemic): Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
- P. chilensis (endemic): Argentina and Chile.
- P. elongata (endemic): Colombia and Venezuela.
- P. involuta (endemic): Bolivia and Peru.
- P. jarmilae (endemic): Bolivia.
Genlisea
About half of this genus occurs in South America, and most are endemics:
Genlisea pygmaea
tuber
- G. aurea (endemic): Brazil.
- G. filiformis: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela; also central America and the Caribbean.
- G. glabra (endemic): Venezuela.
- G. guianensis (endemic): Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- G. lobata (endemic): Brazil.
- G. pygmaea: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela; also in the Caribbean.
- G. repens (endemic): Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- G. roraimensis (endemic): Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- G. sanariapoana (endemic): Colombia (S. Vieira, pers. comm. 2010), Venezuela.
- G. uncinata (endemic): Brazil.
- G. violacea (endemic): Brazil.
Drosera
With the short lists aside, let us now look at the two genera that dominate South America (at least in numbers of
species:
Drosera
intermedia
Drosera
capillaris
Drosera
brevifolia
- D. amazonica (endemic): Brazil.
- D. arenicola (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. arenicola var. occidentalis (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. ascendens (endemic): Brazil.
- D. biflora (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. brevifolia: Brazil and Uruguay; also North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
- D. camporupestris (endemic): Brazil.
- D. capillaris: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, and Venezuela; also North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
- D. cayennensis: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, and Venezuela; also Panama.
- D. cendeensis (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. chrysolepis (endemic): Brazil and Peru.
- D. communis (endemic): Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela.
- D. esmeraldae (endemic): Colombia and Venezuela.
- D. felix (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. ×fontinalis (endemic): Brazil.
- D. graminifolia (endemic): Brazil.
- D. grantsaui (endemic): Brazil.
- D. graomogolensis (endemic): Brazil.
- D. hirtella (endemic): Brazil.
- D. hirticalyx (endemic): Venezuela.
- D. intermedia: Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in North America, Caribbean, and Europe.
- D. kaieteurensis: Guyana and Venezuela; also Caribbean.
- D. meristocaulis (endemic): Venezuela, perhaps Brazil?
- D. montana (endemic): Brazil and Venezuela (also Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay) under the synonym name D. communis var. pauciflora.
- D. peruensis (endemic): Peru.
- D. roraimae (endemic): Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- D. schwackei (endemic): Brazil.
- D. sessilifolia (endemic): Brazil, Colombia (S. Vieira, pers. comm. 2010), Guyana, and Venezuela.
- D. solaris (endemic): Guyana.
- D. tentaculata (endemic): Brazil.
- D. tomentosa (endemic): Brazil.
- D. uniflora: Argentina, Chile.
- D. villosa (endemic): Brazil.
- D. viridis (endemic): Brazil.
- D. yutajensis (endemic): Venezuela.
Utricularia
And now, a genus to completely overwhelm you:
Utricularia
jamesoniana
Utricularia
calycifida
- U. adpressa: Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela; also in Central America and the Caribbean.
- U. alpina: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also the Caribbean.
- U. amethystina: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Latin America, USA (at least formerly).
- U. asplundii (endemic): Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
- U. aureomaculata (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. benjaminiana: Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela; also central America and Africa.
- U. biovularioides (endemic): Brazil.
- U. blanchetii (endemic): Brazil.
- U. buntingiana (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. breviscapa: Brazil and Guyana; also the Caribbean.
- U. calycifida (endemic): Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- U. campbelliana (endemic): Guyana and Venezuela.
- U. chiakiana (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. chiribiquetensis (endemic): Colombia and Venezuela.
- U. choristotheca (endemic): Suriname.
- U. cochleata (endemic): Brazil.
- U. costata (endemic): Brazil and Venezuela.
- U. cucullata: Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Trinidad.
- U. densiflora (endemic): Brazil.
- U. determannii (endemic): Suriname.
- U. endresii: Colombia and Ecuador; also in Central America.
- U. erectiflora: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela; also in México and Central America.
- U. fimbriata (endemic): Colombia and Venezuela.
- U. flaccida (endemic): Brazil.
- U. foliosa: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela; also North America, Latin America, Africa.
- U. geminiloba (endemic): Brazil.
- U. gibba: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela; global in range!
- U. guyanensis: Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Central America.
- U. heterochroma (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. hispida: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in México and Central America.
- U. humboldtii (endemic): Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- U. huntii (endemic): Brazil.
- U. hydrocarpa: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela; also Mexico and Central America.
- U. jamesoniana: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also the Caribbean.
- U. juncea: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in Latin America and the USA.
- U. laciniata (endemic): Brazil.
- U. laxa (endemic): Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
- U. lloydii: Bolivia, Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela; also in Central America.
- U. longeciliata (endemic): Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- U. longifolia (endemic): Brazil.
- U. meyeri (endemic): Brazil.
- U. mirabilis (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. myriocista: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Caribbean and Central America.
- U. nana (endemic): Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- U. naviculata (endemic): Brazil and Venezuela.
- U. nelumbifolia (endemic): Brazil.
- U. neottioides (endemic): Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
- U. nephrophylla (endemic): Brazil.
- U. nervosa (endemic): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela.
- U. nigrescens (endemic): Brazil.
- U. olivacea: Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela; also North America, central America, and the Caribbean.
- U. oliveriana (endemic): Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
- U. parthenopipes (endemic): Brazil.
- U. physoceras (endemic): Brazil.
- U. platensis (endemic): Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
- U. poconensis (endemic): Argentina, and Brazil.
- U. praelonga (endemic): Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
- U. pubescens: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Central America, Africa, mainland Asia.
- U. purpureocaerulea (endemic): Brazil.
- U. pusilla: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also México, Central America, and the Caribbean.
- U. quelchii (endemic): Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
- U. reniformis (endemic): Brazil.
- U. rostrata (endemic): Brazil.
- U. sandwithii (endemic): Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- U. schultesii (endemic): Colombia and Venezuela.
- U. simulans: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Central America, the Caribbean, USA, and Africa.
- U. spruceana (endemic): Brazil and Venezuela.
- U. steyermarkii (endemic): Venezuela.
- U. subulata: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela; also pantropical!
- U. tenuissima: Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela; also in Trinidad.
- U. trichophylla: Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela; also Central America.
- U. tricolor (endemic): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela.
- U. tridentata (endemic): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
- U. triloba: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Central America and the Caribbean.
- U. unifolia: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela; also Central America.
- U. viscosa: Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela; also in Central America and the Caribbean.
- U. warmingii (endemic): Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.
Page citations: Casper, J. 1966; Rice, B.A. 2006a; Rivadavia, F. 2008, 2009; Schlauer, J. 2002; Taylor, P. 1989.
