Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt. is a plant in the Martyniaceae family, order Lamiales, kingdom Plantae. Not known to be toxic.

Photo of Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt. (Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt.)
🌿 Plantae

Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt.

Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt.

Ibicella lutea, the yellow unicorn-plant, is a protocarnivorous flowering plant native to South America that grows in dry habitats.

Family
Genus
Ibicella
Order
Lamiales
Class
Magnoliopsida

About Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt.

Ibicella lutea, with the synonyms Martynia lutea and Proboscidea lutea, is a flowering plant species commonly known as the yellow unicorn-plant. It grows in dry conditions, including those found in desert regions. It is native to South America, but has become established as a non-native species in multiple semi-arid regions across the world, including Southern Africa and California's Central Valley. This aromatic plant has an unpleasant scent. Most of its above-ground surfaces are covered in short glandular hairs, and it is coated in sticky resin. Insects often become trapped in this slimy exudate and die, but the plant does not produce digestive enzymes and does not absorb nutrients from trapped insects. It can be considered protocarnivorous, but not a true carnivorous plant.

Photo: (c) 2008 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · cc-by-nc

Taxonomy

Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Lamiales Martyniaceae Ibicella

More from Martyniaceae

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, NCBI Taxonomy · Disclaimer

Identify Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt. instantly — even offline

iNature uses on-device AI to identify plants, animals, fungi and more. No internet needed.

Download iNature — Free

Start Exploring Nature Today

Download iNature for free. 10 identifications on us. No account needed. No credit card required.

Download Free on App Store