The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v. 12

Q: Carnivorous plants of mainland Asia and Japan--amazing diversity...

A: The native carnivorous genera in this region are Aldrovanda, Drosera, Nepenthes, Pinguicula, and Utricularia.

This page treats all of mainland Asia. Borderline Eurasian countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Russia) are included both here and on the carnivorous plants of Europe page; Cyprus and Turkey are treated as being Asian. Also included are the islands of Japan and Taiwan, although other island nations are treated in my Southeast Asia page (in development). Finally, while I include Thailand, I treat Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore on the Southeast Asia page.

Aldrovanda
Aldrovanda vesiculosa is probably in the same state of decline in Asia as it is in Europe. Historical records indicate the plant has occurred in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, China (Heilongjiang), North Korea, and Japan. However, other than its occurrence in one pond in Japan, I am not sure of its current extent.

Nepenthes
The majority of the species in this genus occurs on the island nations of Southeast Asia, but a few occur in the regions treated on this page. Some of the better known ones include N. ampullaria, N. anamensis, N. bokorensis, N. distillatoria, N. gracilis, N. khasiana, N. mirabilis, and N. thorelii.

Pinguicula
A few Pinguicula occur in this region, such as P. algida, P. alpina, P. crystallina, P. hirtiflora, P. macroceras, P. ramosa, P. variegata, P. villosa, and P. vulgaris.

Drosera
The genus Drosera is represented in Asia by several species, including the endemic D. oblanceolata and D. tokaiensis, as well as D. anglica, D. burmannii, D. indica, D. peltata, D. rotundifolia, and D. spatulata.

Utricularia
The genus Utricularia really shows off in Asia, and is represented by more than sixty species, including a number of endemics.

Page citations: Breckpot, C. 1997; Casper, J. 1966; Rice, B.A. 2006a; Schlauer, J. 2002; Taylor, P. 1989.

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Revised: 2018
©Barry Rice, 2018