Take A Look At The Interesting And Amazing Pitcher Plant Information

We all know that animals hunt for prey and feed on them. Even humans consume some animals and plants. But, have you ever heard of plants, that feed on insects. Yes, there are some carnivorous plants too, like, the pitcher plants. These carnivorous plants usually grow on soil, which has very less amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen. They derive nutrients by trapping and digesting insects and some other arthropods. There are various types of carnivorous plants with different trapping mechanisms and pitcher plant is one among them. In general, carnivorous plants exhibit any of the following five trapping mechanisms. Some of them have pitfall traps, like, in case of pitcher plants, others have sticky mucilage to get the prey stuck on the plant. In case of snap trap plants, leaves act like traps, whereas bladder plants suck in the prey. Another type of carnivorous plant called lobster-pot trap have hair that guide the prey to the plant's digestive organ. This article is about pitcher plants, that have pitcher-like adaptations to catch prey. Let us take a look at some amazing pitcher plant information.

Pitcher Plant Facts

Now, we know that there are carnivorous plants, that trap insects and digest them. Unlike animals and humans, plants do not have limbs to catch prey. Then, what is the mechanism behind plants trapping insects? The interesting piece of information on the pitcher plant is that these plants have specialized structures that enable them to trap their prey. We have already discussed the different trapping mechanisms in different carnivorous plants. In case of pitcher plant, the trapping mechanism involves pitcher shaped structures formed at the end of the leaves or made of whole leaves.

How do Pitcher Plants Trap Insects?

Most of the pitcher plants have something to lure insects. The lures can be in the form of attractively colored elongated pitchers or nectar. The insects that enter the pitcher find it difficult to get out of the structure, as it has slippery or grooved surfaces. These pitchers contain a liquid called phytotelmata, which drowns the prey and dissolves it gradually. So, the insect that enters the pitcher may directly drown in the liquid or fail to get out of the structure and gradually drowns. This liquid, which is found inside the pitcher may either contain bacteria, that acts on the prey or insect larvae, that feed on the trapped insects. In the latter case, the pitcher plant absorbs the excreta of the larvae, which live harmoniously with the pitcher plant. In some other cases, the liquid contains digesting enzymes, secreted by the plant itself. Once the prey is dissolved the pitcher plant extracts amino acids, peptides, phosphates, ammonium and urea from the solution. Now, you have a basic idea about the course of action of pitcher plant.

Pitcher Plant Classification

Most of the pitcher plants to the families Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniacea. There are two other families, termed Cephalotaceae (with a single species of pitcher plant) and Bromeliaceae (2 to 3 species), with a few pitcher plant species. Pitcher plants belonging to the family Nepenthaceae are mainly tropical and are considered as old world pitcher plants. Those belonging to the family Sarraceniacea can be found across the globe in different climatic conditions. The members of Sarraceniacea are the new world pitcher plants. While the family Nepenthaceae consists of a single genus called Nepenthes with 120 species of pitcher plants, the family Sarraceniacea comprises three genera - Sarracenia, Darlingtonia and Heliamphora. The main difference between the old world and new world pitcher plants lies in the formation and placement of pitcher.

The old world pitcher plants are often found as climbers, with pitchers formed at the tip of tendrils that develop from the midribs of the plant's leaves. While most of them are climbers, there are some, that grow on ground or as epiphytes on trees. Unlike the former category, the new world pitcher plants are mostly ground dwelling with horizontal rhizomes. In case of new world pitcher plants, the pitchers are made of whole leaves. In most cases, the entire leaf rolls to form the pitcher. Even though, all the pitcher plants have pitchers, each type has different interesting features. For example, the pitcher of the cobra pitcher plant resembles the hood of a cobra with an inflated tip and a structure like forked tongue.

Popular Types of Pitcher Plants

Now, you have some basic information on the pitcher plant. Let us take a look at some of the areas where pitcher plants are found along with the pitcher plant scientific names. Among the two largest families of pitcher plants, the most popular species belong to Sarraceniacea, especially the genus Sarracenia. Most of the pitcher plants in this genus are found in the United States and are grown as outdoor plants. The most popular among them are red pitcher plant (Nepenthes ventricosa), pale pitcher plant (Sarracenia alata), yellow trumpet pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava), purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Sarracenia Dana's Delight, etc. In case of Nepenthaceae family, Nepenthes raja and Nepenthes alata are more commonly grown as houseplants. Red pitcher plants are also considered to be the easiest to grow indoors as long as you maintain proper surroundings and environment conditions and follow pitcher plant care guidelines. These guidelines and other red pitcher plant info can be gained at your local nursery or botanist. Pitcher plant propagation is mainly done through leaf and roost cuttings. Even though, pitcher plant seeds are available, it may take a few years for the plants to grow from seeds.

Now, you have some of the interesting and amazing pitcher plant information. These plants are truly fascinating and if you are interested, you may conduct a deeper study about the various types of pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants.