PITCHER PLANT FAMILY 



SARRACENIACE^ 



In the more northern states the curious family 

 of Pitcher Plants is represented by but a single 

 species. The members of this group are espe- 

 cially characterized by the modification of the 

 leaves into pitchers that hold water and that serve 

 as traps for various sorts of insects. They also 

 have flowers strange and interesting in structure, 

 although these are not so often seen as are the 

 leaves. 



Pitcher Plant. The Sarracenia or Pitcher 

 Plant is one of the most interesting of the plants 

 that blossom in June. To find it you must seek 

 some boggy retreat where the wet carpet of 

 sphagnum moss is made wetter still by the water 

 contained in the pitcher-shaped leaves of this 

 Sarracenia. If you pull up one of the plants you 

 will find that it is anchored in place by a very 

 few scraggly roots that take hold of the surround- 

 ing moss, but if you look for rich soil from which 

 plant food may be derived you will see that there 

 is practically none. And when you are led to 

 wonder where the Sarracenia gets the material 

 with which to make its lusty growth you should 

 split open one of the leaves and examine the con- 



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