California Pitcher Plant

Darlingtonia californica (dar-ling-TOH-nee-a kal-ih-FOR-nik-uh)

Family: Sarraceniaceae Unknown Herbaceous

California Pitcher Plant is a carnivorous, herbaceous perennial plant native to the coastal bogs and mountain streams of the west coast of Oregon south to California. The plant has large tubular leaves that trap water which attracts insects that the plant digests and gains nutrients from. The insects, or other small organisms, are attracted to the nectar secreted by the hood and appendages and enter the hole beneath the hood. Once inside, numerous down-pointing hairs prevent escape and they are decomposed by microorganisms in the fluid in the tubular base. Nutrients thus released are absorbed by the plant Pitcher plants typically need these nutrients because the wet boggy soils they grow in do not provide enough nutrients to sustain the plant. The California Pitcher Plant is very attractive in the wild and eagerly sought for cultivation; however, it is difficult to grow outside its cool native range and has exacting requirements for temperature and humidity and wet, bog-like conditions. It was discovered in 1841 on the Wilkes Expedition by the assistant botanist, W. D. Brackenridge, growing in a marsh bordering a tributary on the Sacramento River south of Shasta Peak. It is currently threatened by habitat disruption and unscrupulous collectors , although the Pitcher Plant and some eastern American species of carnivorous plants have been transplanted into sites in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 38 attributes.