The Insectivorous Genus Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) in the Greater Antilles

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In the Greater Antilles, there are 15 species of the insectivorous genus Pinguicula L. (Lentibulariaceae). This work discusses their taxonomy, ecology and biogeography. Fourteen species are native to Cuba and one to Hispaniola. In Cuba, the genus is found in three regions: Pinar del Río and Isla de  la Juventud (three species), Cienfuegos (two species) and the former province of Oriente (nine species). Three new species are described: P. baezensis Casper, P. moaensis Casper and P. orthoceras Casper. The taxonomic status of P. benedicta, frequently mentioned in botanical literature, is discussed. Two truly epiphytic species, P. casabitoana (Hispaniola) and P. lignicola (eastem Cuba), as well as the ‘bird-lime-twig-leaved’ (‘leimrutenblättrige’) P. filifolia (western Cuba), are of particular biological interest.

Pinguicula is a relatively recent member of the Greater Antillean flora, the genus probably having arrived prior to the end of the Pliocene (c. 3.7 mya) and diversified when the Panamanian land bridge was formed (2.5—2.3 mya). Combining floral morphology and phytogeographical data, two main radiations can be distinguished: (1) taxa with indistinctly 2-lipped, subisolobate corollas (e.g. P. albida, P. baezensis, P. casabitoana, P. filifolia, P. jackii and P. lithophytica), occupying all three Cuban distribution centres and Hispaniola; and (2) taxa of the Pinguicula benedicta species group with distinctly 2-lipped, unequal to subequal lobed corollas that are restricted to a limited area of eastem Cuba.

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