Pitcher plant is the name of a group of green plants with pitcher-shaped leaves that form traps for insects. Pitcher plants are called carnivorous plants because they feed on animal life (see Carnivorous plant ). Like other green plants, pitcher plants make their own food by a process called photosynthesis (see Photosynthesis ). However, pitcher plants live in places where they get little nitrogen from the soil. The trapped insects provide nitrogen for the plants. These unusual plants have many local names. Among these names are sidesaddle flower, huntsman’s-cup, and Indian dipper.
The purple pitcher plant grows in marshes and swamps east of the Rocky Mountains from Labrador south to Florida. The lower edges of its leaves are folded together to form a tube, or pitcher. The top edges are left open to form the lid, or spout. Rain water collects in these pitchers. Thick bristles grow at the mouth of each pitcher. These bristles all point downward and inward. Tiny honey glands cover the inner surface of the lid. The smell of the sweet juice attracts insects. Once the insect alights, the bristles prevent its leaving. It slides down to the base of the tube, where it drowns. After a while, the plant digests the insect.
The single, globe-shaped flower of the purple pitcher plant grows on a long, slender stem. It is a deep reddish-purple color. The people of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador chose the purple pitcher plant as their provincial flower.
A pitcher plant with yellow flowers grows in the Southern States. It has tall, erect, trumpet-shaped leaves. Another species of the pitcher plant, the cobra plant, is native to California. Most insects caught by this plant are killed. However, a certain moth and a species of mosquito make their home in the pitcher.
