Sarracenia
Habit | herbaceous
| |
---|---|---|
Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
Features: | ✓ | flowers |
---|
If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
Sarracenia (pronounced /ˌsærəˈsiːniə/ or /ˌsærəˈsɛniə/) is a genus comprising 8 to 11 species of North American pitcher plants. The genus belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which also contain the closely allied genera Darlingtonia and Heliamphora.
Sarracenia is a genus of carnivorous plants indigenous to the eastern seaboard, Texas, the Great Lakes area and southeastern Canada, with most species occurring only in the south-east United States (only S. purpurea occurs in cold-temperate regions). The plant's leaves have evolved into a funnel in order to trap insects, digesting their prey with proteases and other enzymes.
The insects are attracted by a nectar-like secretion on the lip of pitchers, as well as a combination of color and scent. Slippery footing at the pitchers' rim, aided in at least one species by a narcotic drug lacing the nectar, causes insects to fall inside, where they die and are digested by the plant as a nutrient source.
Sarracenia are herbaceous perennial plants that grow from a subterranean rhizome, with many tubular pitcher-shaped leaves radiating out from the growing point, and then turning upwards with their trap openings facing the center of the crown. The trap is a vertical tube with a 'hood' (the operculum) extending over its entrance; and below it the top of the tube usually has a rolled lip (the peristome) which secretes nectar and scents. The hood itself frequently produces nectar too, but in lesser quantities.
Flowers are produced early in spring, with or slightly ahead of the first pitchers. They are held singly on long stems, generally well above the pitcher traps to avoid the trapping of potential pollinators. The flowers, which depending on species are 3-10 centimeters in diameter, are dramatic and have an elaborate design which prevents self-pollination. It consists of five sepals superintended by three bracts, numerous anthers, and an umbrella-like five-pointed style, over which five long yellow or red petals dangle. The whole flower is held upside-down, so that the umbrella-like style catches the pollen dropped by the anthers. The stigmas are located at the tips of the umbrella-like style. The primary pollinators are bees.
Pitcher production begins at the end of the flowering period in spring, and lasts until late autumn. At the end of autumn, the pitchers begin to wither and the plants produce non-carnivorous leaves called phyllodia, which play a role in the economics of carnivory in these species. Since the supply of insects during winter is decreased, and the onset of cold weather slows plant metabolism and other processes, putting energy into producing carnivorous leaves would be uneconomical for the plant.
ExpandRead about Sarracenia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
|
---|
Cultivation
Propagation
Flowers generally last about two weeks. At the end of the flowering period, the petals drop and the ovary, if pollinated, begins to swell. The seed forms in five lobes, with one lobe producing significantly smaller numbers of seeds than the other lobes.[1] On average, 300-600 seed are produced,[1] depending on species and pollination success. Seed takes five months to mature, at which point the seed pod turns brown and splits open, scattering seed. The seeds are 1.5-2 mm in length and have a rough, waxy coat which makes it hydrophobic, possibly for seed dispersal by flowing water. [2] Sarracenia seed requires a stratification period to germinate in large numbers. Plants grown from seed start producing functioning traps almost immediately, although they differ in morphology from adult traps for the first year or so, being simpler in structure. Plants require 3–5 years to reach maturity from seed.
Pests and diseases
Species
- For a complete list of subspecies, varieties, and common hybrids, please see the separate article List of Sarracenia species and hybrids.
The most commonly recognized species include:
- Sarracenia alabamensis Case & R.B.Case
- Sarracenia alata (Alph.Wood) Alph.Wood
- Sarracenia flava L.
- Sarracenia jonesii Wherry
- Sarracenia leucophylla Raf.
- Sarracenia minor Walter
- Sarracenia oreophila (Kearney) Wherry
- Sarracenia psittacina Michx.
- Sarracenia purpurea L.
- Sarracenia rosea Naczi, Case, & R.B.Case
- Sarracenia rubra Walter
Some common hybrids include:
Some common cultivars include:
Gallery
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Sarracenia flava Seed Data, Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, volume 24, 1995, pages 110–111}}
- ↑ http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedbank/species/Sarracenia.htm
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Sarracenia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Sarracenia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)