DRUMMOND PITCHERPLANT 



Sarracenia drummondii Croom 



The thrill of finding a pitcher plant in bloom is a rare experience, 

 for the petals of these plants are short lived. The umbrella left be- 

 hind is a curious object, but it lacks the distinctive beauty of the per- 

 fect flower, with its brilliant petals. Many insects are attracted to the 

 treacherous pitchers and are lured to their death. Of all our wild 

 flowers, pitcherplants are the most fascinating from the standpoint 

 of their relations to insects, excepting only the orchids. They yield 

 readily to cultivation in a cool greenhouse, when given the proper 

 acid soil, and abundant moisture about their roots, approximating 

 natural conditions. This may be accomplished by the use of a double 

 pot, with peat moss in the interspace. 



Drummond Pitcherplant is one of the largest of the several species 

 of the genus, its pitchers reaching a height of three or even four 

 feet. It is native in a rather restricted area along the Gulf Coast, from 

 southwestern Georgia and western Florida to southern Mississippi. 



The plant painted was brought into bloom in the greenhouses of 

 the Department of Agriculture in Washington. 



PLATE 32.9 



