pitcher plant

Mission : Endangered Species

Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia oreophila

pitcher.tif (531260 bytes)

The Pitcher Plant has hollow leaves which hold water, which gives it its name. There are eighty kinds of pitcher plants. They are found in tropical wetlands, mostly in Malaysia, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.

The leaves of the pitcher plant can be from two inches to more than two feet in length. Large pitcher plants can trap small frogs and mice, and small plants can catch insects. Rainwater fills the jugs of the plant. Around the lip of the pitcher, nectar is produced. This attracts flies who like the nectar. As they search farther into the jug, they slip down into it and drown. There it is digested by the plant.

People are growing carnivorous plants in indoor greenhouses. This helps preserve these fascinating plants. If they were left to grow in their natural habitat, they would be destroyed by people draining the marshlands where the plant lives to build buildings and roads.