CARNIVOROUS PLANTS OF CANADA. 



321 



In Fig-. 1875 '^ shown a simple fruit- 

 basket smoothed up and treated to several 

 coats of paint. A hoop of appropriate size 

 is nailed securely to its rim. This is so 

 bent to harmonize with the lines of the bas- 

 ket, and besides affording a decorative fea- 

 ture, is useful as a means of lifting the 

 plant. In painting these holders select such 

 colors as will not offend good taste. Warm 

 tints are the best, as they afford a pleasing 



contrast to the foliage of the plant. Rich 

 dark browns, dull reds, or pale cream tints 

 are good and effective, yet quiet and restful 

 to the eye. The basket is set on a lig^ht 

 stand of polished wood, quite Japanese in 

 design. Though verj" simple in construc- 

 tion, it gives distinction to the plant, and is 

 a protection to the carpet or table on which 

 it rests. — From the Ladies' Home Journal, 

 copyrighted by the Curtis Pub. Co. , Phila. 



CARNIVOROUS PLANTS OF CANADA. 



Facilis descensus Averni, 



Sed revocare gradum. — Vibgil. 



LTHOUGH to the horticulturist as a 

 commercial grower, flesh consum- 

 ing plants may not be of special 

 '^sfj=»' interest, yet as a student of plant 

 life a brief account of how some plants 

 obtain nitrogen may be to him both inter- 

 esting and valuable. 



Those that will be mentioned fall naturally 

 into two groups, the one composed of those 

 that capture by means of closed chambers 

 or open pitfalls, so contrived that animals 

 entering may not be able to get out. In 

 some instances the pitfalls are made attrac- 

 tive by a display of brilliant color, and the 

 downward way alluring by a spread of 

 sweets. It is in a more enticing way the 

 old storj' : 



' ' Walk into my parlor said the spider to the fly, 

 I've the prettiest little parlor ever you did spy." 



The other group consists of those that per- 

 form certain movements specially designed 

 to secure their prey. 



There is a third group, to it belong plants 

 the leaves of which are provided with glands 

 that secrete a sticky substance to capture 

 insects and fluids to digest them. Some 

 Canadian plants have sticky foliage, but the 

 writer is not aware that it .has been ascer- 



tained that any of them can digest the insects 

 that may chance to adhere to the leaves. 



The first group is represented in Canada 

 by five species of bladderworts, which illus- 

 trate the closed chamber contrivance and one 

 species of pitcher plant which uses the pit- 

 fall method. Of the bladderworts, four 

 species live in ponds or pools in bogs, one 

 roots in mud. The aquatic species have no 

 roots, they float just below the surface of the 

 water, throwing up only flower stalks with 

 their yellow flowers into the air. See Fig. 

 1876, copied, as are all illustrations in this 

 paper, from the National Histon.- of Plants by 

 Anton Kerner, Professor of Botany in the 

 University of Vienna. 



The life story of these plants is as fol- 

 lows : In the autumn spherical buds are 

 formed at the ends of the branches, the 

 leaves and old parts die, become saturated 

 with water, sink to the bottom, taking of 

 necessity these buds with them, where they 

 remain all winter. On the return of grow- 

 ing weather these buds increase in size, be- 

 come separated from the old decaying 

 branches, ascend to near the surface and soon 

 develop into a plant similar to that shown in 

 Fig. 1876 with leaves and bladders. In some 



