PITCHER PLANT FAMILY 
( Sarraceniacece) 
A small family of bog-inhabiting plants having hol¬ 
low pitcher-formed or trumpet-shaped leaves. 
Pitcher Plant; Huntsman’s Cup (Sarracenia pur¬ 
purea). Few plants are as little known, generally as 
this species. It is one of the most interesting ones that 
we have. The shapes of both the leaves and blossoms 
are clearly shown in the opposite picture. The pitchers, 
or basal leaves, may number from three to a dozen, all 
radiating from the root and all with the orifice up. 
An examination shows that each pitcher is partially 
filled with water. Just below the rim of the leaf, on 
the inside, is a sticky substance to attract insects; as 
these enter, they pass downwards over countless little 
hairs, all pointing downwards. These make it very dif¬ 
ficult for insects to crawl out of the pitcher, and many 
of them become exhausted and are drowned in the wa¬ 
ter. As these insects decompose, they are absorbed by 
the plant. 
The Pitcher Plant is local in bogs from Labrador to 
Manitoba and southwards. 
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