Mar., 1913.] 
Carnivorous Plants of Ohio. 
97 
CARNIVOROUS PLANTS OF OHIO. 
Amy Williams. 
In Ohio we find representatives of all the main types of insect¬ 
ivorous plants: 
First those having traps or chambers into which the insects 
go and are caught; second, those which show definite movements 
in response to a stimulus caused by contact with the animal; and 
third, those which have neither pitfalls nor movements, but which 
have viscid-pubescence or viscid areas on their leaves or stems, 
on which the insects are caught. 
In the first group we find: 
Sarracenia purpurea L. 
Utricularia cornuta Mx. 
Utricularia vulgaris L. 
Utricularia intermedia Hayne. 
Utricularia minor L. 
Utricularia gibba L. 
Silphium perfoliatum L. 
Dipsacus sylvestris Mill. 
Sarracenia purpurea, Pitcher-plant, has its leaves converted 
into deep tubular pitchers, and arranged in rosettes, which rest 
on the ground, and from there curve upward. They are some¬ 
what inflated at about their middle, but get smaller again near 
the opening where they pass into small laminae. These are 
threaded by red veins, which often form a very striking pattern. 
The liquid remains in the pitcher for an indefinite period, as there 
is little chance for evaporation in the hollow tubes. Insects 
alighting on the short lamina above the opening or crawling up 
from below, slide down readily into the pitcher because of the 
smooth, stiff, reflexed hairs. After they are in, their attempts to 
escape are entirely futile, because of the peculiar arrangement of 
downward pointing, stiff hairs, which line the throat and prevent 
them from crawling up. They finally drop into the liquid collected 
in the bottom, where the}' drown and may then be absorbed by 
the plant. 
The Utricularias, Bladder-worts, are aquatic plants rooted in 
the mud or suspended in the water, and according to season, 
either sink down to the bottom or rise to just beneath the surface. 
In winter, when animal life is gradually disappearing from the 
upper layers of the water, the tips of the floating stems enlarge 
and form spherical winter-buds, which sink to the bottom during 
the winter. In the spring these buds elongate and come up to the 
surface. Here they put out two lateral branches which are cov¬ 
ered with leaves and little bladders. The bladders are pale- 
green and partially transparent. They are somewhat flattened 
on the sides and have a convex dorsal surface and a slightly 
