PITCHER PLANT FAMILY 
SARRACENIACEZE 
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. A 
PitcHeR Puant. 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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