Cuban Butterwort
Pinguicula albida
Cuban Butterwort (Pinguicula albida) is a small carnivorous plant endemic to Cuba, characterized by its rosette of pale green, sticky leaves that trap and digest small insects. The plant produces delicate white or pale purple flowers on slender stalks and plays an important ecological role as both predator of small arthropods and prey for specialized herbivores in its native ecosystem.
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Yoannis Domínguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Yoannis Domínguez
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Family
Lentibulariaceae
Genus
Pinguicula
Cuban Butterwort belongs to the family Lentibulariaceae, order Lamiales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Cuban Butterwort (Pinguicula albida) is a small carnivorous plant endemic to Cuba, characterized by its rosette of pale green, sticky leaves that trap and digest small insects. The plant produces delicate white or pale purple flowers on slender stalks and plays an important ecological role as both predator of small arthropods and prey for specialized herbivores in its native ecosystem.
Cuban Butterwort (Pinguicula albida) is critically endangered due to its extremely restricted range limited to a few locations in Cuba's mountainous regions. The species faces severe threats from habitat destruction through mining activities, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development in its specialized serpentine soil habitats.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Cuban Butterwort grows exclusively on wet limestone cliffs, cave entrances, and seepage areas where water continuously drips or flows over calcareous rock faces. These specialized microhabitats provide the constant moisture and mineral-rich conditions essential for the species' survival.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Cuban Butterwort (Pinguicula albida) is critically endangered due to its extremely restricted range limited to a few locations in Cuba's mountainous regions. The species faces severe threats from habitat destruction through mining activities, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development in its specialized serpentine soil habitats.
Agricultural expansion and land conversion
Extremely small population size and restricted range
Mining and quarrying activities
Climate change and altered precipitation patterns
Infrastructure development
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Cuban Butterwort (Pinguicula albida). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/cuban-butterwort