324 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 1880. Fig. 1881. 



upon the ground, instead of the usual flat 

 leaf blade and narrow leaf stalk, have been 

 changed, stalk and blade into lengthy sacs, 

 resting upon their backs, inflated about the 

 middle, somewhat contracted about the 

 mouth, which is raised up from the ground 

 and bordered with a collar or sort of hood. 

 This hood is streaked with red veins, often 

 of a Vermillion brightness, and holds its con- 

 cave surface in a position to catch the rain- 

 drops and conduct them into the cavity below. 

 Near the mouth the pitcher is provided on 

 the inside with glands which exude a sweet 

 fluid that is spread thinly over what may be 

 termed the throat. Below this the in- 

 terior is lined with long, smooth, sharp- 

 pointed bristles. See Fig. 1880, a section 

 through the wall of the sac, showing the 

 long spinous bristles greatly magnified. The 

 bright colors and sweets allure the insects, 

 many slide down over the smooth slippery 

 spines ; after vainly endeavoring to climb the 

 bristle-lined wall they sink exhausted into 



the water below and perish. When a num- 

 ber are decaying the water becomes turbid, 

 resembling manure water. It is not yet 

 known whether the fluid is mere rain water 

 or whether the gland-like cells at the bottom 

 exude a secretion which modifies its charac- 

 ter. Will not some reader of the Canadian 

 Horticulturist settle this question ? It is in 

 this way that Pitcher plants obtain more or 

 less of their required nitrogen. These com- 

 prise all of the Canadian plants embraced in 

 the first group. 



Turning now to the consideration of the 

 second group, those plants that exhibit 

 movements in capturing their prey, we find 

 that the Canadian members are confined to 

 two plant families, one also belonging to 

 the Bladderwort family and four to the Sun- 

 dew family. This one, which is placed by 

 botanists in Bladderwort family, has no blad- 

 ders, does not live in water, captures insects 

 by the involution of its leaf margins. It may 

 be briefly described as follows — Pinguicula 

 vulgaris, Butterwort. The leaves are entire, 

 arranged in a rosette at the base of the leaf- 

 less flower stalk, flower violet-purple, one 

 petaled, two lipped, upper lip two cleft, 

 under three cleft, nearly straight nectar bear- 

 ing spur varying from one-sixth to one- 

 third of an inch in length. Its range is from 

 Newfoundland and Quebec through Ontario 

 to the Rocky Mountains. In Ontario at Red 

 Bay, Lake Huron, along the coast of Lake 

 Superior from Michipicotin to Red Rock, on 

 St. Ignace Island and on the east coast of 

 Lake Nipigon (Macoun). 



Fig. 1881 represents a flowering plant. 

 The upper surface of the leaves is cov- 

 ered with numerous glands which secrete 

 a sticky fluid that is poured out profusely 

 whenever an insect or other nitrogenous 

 body is brought continuously in contact with 

 them ; to this, at such times only, is added 

 another fluid similar to the gastric juice of 

 animals. When small insects alight upon 

 the leaf they are detained by the sticky sub- 



