Botanical Illustrator



Pitcher Plant

Crimson Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia leucophylla), watercolor pencil & watercolor

About Crimson Pitcher Plants:
The crimson pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia which includes from eight to eleven species.  It is found in wetlands in the southeast of the United States, particularly the Florida Panhandle (see distribution map of the genus at Wikipedia as well as the white and crimson pitcher plantsin particular.)

The crimson pitcher plant is very similar to the white topped or white pitcher plant.  The crimson pitcher plant grows in direct sun.  The white pitcher plant grows in shadier areas.  (See differences described at: Wildflowers of the Escambia by Darryl Searcy: Sarraceniaceae (Pitcher Plant))

At the top of the plant is the operculum, a hood that keeps rainwater out of the pitcher.  The peristome is the area where the nectar is produced, a waxy slippery rim that causes insects to slip and fall into the pitcher.  Below the peristome is a shaft with hairs that point downward.  Digestive glands secrete digestive enzymes.  The bottom of the pitcher is filled with digeestive fluids.  A cut-away view of the flower, showing the individual pars, is also available at Wikipedia (see link above).

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Sarraceniaceae
Genus: Sarracenia
Species: Sarracenia leucophylla

More information about white pitcher plants:
Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Florida's Pitcher Plants
Wikipedia: Sarracenia leucophylla

Photos of pitcher plants:

Pitcher Plants



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