118 



FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 



The distribution of the family is rather remarkable. ChrysanqjJiora, 

 the Californiaii pitcher-plant, belongs only to the Pacific coast, and is 

 remarkable on account of the large, bifurcated hood to the pitchers, 

 suggestive of a fish's tail. Heliamphora is confined to the mountains of 

 Venezuela; while the species of Sarracenia are among the most con- 

 spicuous plants of the southern savannahs and pine barrens, one {S. pur- 

 purea) extending northward into Canada. The photograph reproduced 

 in Fig. 102 gives an excellent idea of the plant in its natural habitat; its 

 leaves are more graceful in shape than those of any other species. In 

 the South S. psittacina, with small red flowers, and leaves curiously 

 resembUng the outline of a parrot's head and body, replaces S. pur- 

 purea; while S. fiava, S. Drummondii and S. variolaris have very large, 

 erect, funnel-shaped leaves, often handsomely variegated. 



The mode in which insects are attracted 

 to these death traps is very ingenious. In 

 most species there is a sweet exudation on 

 the inner surface of the tubular leaf just be- 

 neath the protective flaps or hood. Insects 

 crawl down to feed upon this, and soon come 

 upon a smooth polished area, which causes 

 them to slip farther down; a succession of 

 slender hairs, all pointing the same way, ren- 

 ders the remainder of the descent easy, and 

 effectually i)recludes all attempts of the 

 struggling insects to climb out by the same 

 path. 



Family Nepenthaceae. East Indian 

 Pitcher-plant Family. Consists of the single 

 genus Nepenthes, embracing about 40 species, 

 natives principally of the Indo-Malayan 

 region, one in Madagascar. They are herbs 

 or somewhat shrubby plants, Tvdth dioecious 

 flowers, the sterile containing about 16 an- 

 thers united in a head, the fertile ^x\i\\ a sin- 

 gle 4-celled free ovary; calyx 4-parted, petals none. The leaves are 

 even more remarkable than those of the Sarraceniaceae, for in addition 

 to the pitchers or traps, the petiole develops, in one portion, to a broad 

 expanded blade, fulfilHng the functions of an ordinary leaf, and in 

 another portion is tough and wiry, acting as a tendril to support the 

 whole leaf and its contents. The size and shape of the pitchers differ 

 considerably. In many of them the hood forms a perfect lid, closing 

 the mouth of the pitcher completely. Several are in greenhouse culti- 

 vation, the most common being probably N. Rafflesiana. 



Fig. 103. Spatulate-leaved sun- 

 dew (Drosera intermedia) showing 

 enlarged flower and fruit. After 

 Britten & Brown, 111. Fl. Northeast. 

 U. S. 



