Here are a couple pictures of my beautiful Darlingtonia [looks like this is a Sarracenia actually, thanks for the heads up in the comments -- I'll keep the info on Darlingtonia up here regardless. Oh, and here is an awesome company Sarracenia Northwest, that has many carnivorous plants for sale], a carnivorous plant native to Oregon and California. My good friend The Marine, who sometimes posts here as Trappin' Pat, gave this to me out of his ever-increasing collection.
Darlingtonia are also known as Pitcher plans or Cobra lilies. I posted large pictures so you can see detail if you want to by clicking on the thumbnails of them. There is one pitcher open so far, the others are still maturing. And it's got a cool flower as well -- which is good to see since the pitchers are sometimes thought of as flowers, but really they are adapted leaves.
If you want to see them in the wild, there is a great wayside just North of Florence called the Darlingtonia State Natural Site. Here is another link from Planet Oregon on the wayside, and the Oregon State writeup about it.
My plan right now is to develop a dense shelf of potted carnivorous plants between my compost pile and my chicken run. They'll feast, it's going to be great. The Wife's got her orchids, I have my Darlingtonia.
ps/addendum: Forgot to mention, when I noticed that one of the pitchers was mature and open I peeked inside, and there already was an ant and a spider in there. It had only been open maybe a day or two -- too cool.
Enjoy bizarre plants and the loyalty they inspire,
Bp
9 comments:
That is a species or hybrid of the genus Sarracenia not Darlingtonia. I am no expert on the insectivorous plants but if you google Darlingtonia califorinca I think you will see the difference. Fascinating plants and very easy to grow. If you really want to see them thrive try looking for a product called "New Zealand spaghnum moss" to plant them in but if you use NZ
Spaghnum you have to use distilled water. Let the plant winter outside protected from freezing or in a very cool place like a vegetable crisper in the fridge they need a dormancy period. The plants are semi-aquatic swamp growing so the roots should be in water all the time when in active growth.
Whups. I'll post it as both for now, til I get more information, thanks for the heads up!
Hmmm. I wonder if one can get these to grow over here on the dry side (or the so-called dry side. While we have had below average rain here in the Walla Walla Valley, it has been spread out enough to wreak havoc with the hay crop -- there is a large hayfield down the road that was mowed last week. It rained the next day, and the rows of cut hay are ruined.)
Prolly just as well if I can't as I don't need another obsession and am already up to my ears in FOFGs)
I give the folks to whose site you lined a call and find out.
Dude, these are my newest thing. I totally dig them.
Considering your orchid fetish, and how quickly it developed I'd tread lightly LOL.
These Sarracenias (I’ll look up the sub-type when I get to my books back home) are nearly indestructible. They winter over nicely and can freeze. It’s best to have them mostly dry when they freeze but I have frozen mine in a solid block and they continue to thrive. They need to freeze to re-set their annual clock with dormancy. Many of mine are 8 years old and are growing 2-3’ tall. Most of the pitchers have bugs in them and some are 2/3 full of confused, confounded and about to be consumed flies. Yesterday my 9-year old daughter caught two flies mating next to the “garden of death” (go for it you little devils). Spiders frequently set up house right in the pitcher and steal from the plants; I’ve never seen one caught.
Stu:
They’d grow wherever there is lots of sun in peat (not soil). BUT they need to be moist 90% of the time, even here in the Willamette Valley I water them 2x/day in the summer. When the bottom tray is dry its time for water.
Pat,
Cool -- I can handle that. I have a small drip irrigation system I can set up exclusively for the carnivores.
Peat is also no problem, although I will need to make a bed for them.
Swell, another obsession...
LOL
Brandon you got Sarracenia oreophila.
Wikipedia>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarracenia_oreophila
Do you think it's pronounced like the cookie? oreophilia=oreo lover?
it is now and for me will forever be the cookie-loving carnivorous plant
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