Sarracenia Times Seven

Day 265: The carnivores are at the door! Sarracenia has put on a spectacular show this year, all seven of her flowers coming into bloom more or less at the same time. The one on the far right is in the later stages of development. Its outer row of petals has fallen, revealing the "half-orange" structure at its heart. The reproductive structures are hidden beneath its upside-down "umbrella" (the style) which serves to catch shed pollen, thus ensuring a greater possibility of transfer to the stigmata by insects. Audrey has almost outgrown her pot! I'm hesitant to divide her, but it's a job which will have to be done next spring as soon as she shows the first signs of new growth.

Carnivore Carnival

Day 246: Sarracenia Carolina Yellow Jacket (left) has presented her first two flowers this year, both open as of this writing. I had wondered how they would compare with those of her cousin Audrey (Sarracenia rubra, right). She is less flamboyant. Rubra comes on stage in a rush of scarlet ruffles; Yellow Jacket enters gracefully in a sleek gown of palest yellow tastefully accented with red. Rubra has the most buds ever: seven in various stages of development, only one of which is fully open.

These flowers are remarkably long-lived when compared with other plants. Each individual blossom maintains its colour for several weeks, slowly turning brown but never going limp or watery. When completely dry, they are somewhat withered, but the petals are less fragile than one might expect. They would make a nice addition to a dried arrangement if it wasn't for all the dead bugs trapped inside!

Sarracenia Season

Day 231: The Sarracenias are budding! Those of my readers who have been following me for some years know about the two carnivores who protect my back porch from mosquitoes. "Audrey" (named after the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors") is Sarracenia rubra, a species whose pitchers grow to about 12" in height; the other is Sarracenia x Carolina Yellow Jacket (unnamed as of this writing), its pitchers much shorter (about 8" maximum) and stouter than those of rubra, and morphologically different as well. Rubra (left) has bloomed in growing numbers each of the last four or five years, the stalks rising to 18", terminating in an enormous and unusually-shaped red flower. This year, she has produced SEVEN buds! I've only had Yellow Jacket (right) for a couple of years, and although it bore one or two small buds last year, they did not mature. I am confident that the two buds shown in the photo will develop fully, and I'm anxious to see what form the blossom takes.

These Pitchers are hardy in our Pacific Northwest winters, although I bring them indoors when temperatures drop below the mid-twenties. The foliage suffers some light frost damage even so, but new pitchers begin growing concurrently with the development of the inflorescences. At this point, the new pitchers are still quite small on both plants, but a number of older ones have remained viable, ready to devour any hapless bugs who venture into their interiors. Every year when I trim back the frost-nipped tips, I am surprised to see just how well they've done their job. Invariably, the husks of dead insects fill each one to a depth of four or five inches, accumulated from the previous summer.

Death Traps

Day 334: The Door Wardens are hard at work. As I was taking this photo of Sarracenia rubra, a Bald-Faced Hornet landed on the uppermost tip of another trap out of frame and began edging toward the depths of the pitcher, lured by the odor of Sarracenia's previous victims. If you look closely at the photo, you may be able to discern the fine downward-pointing hairs which are this carnivore's secret of success. The hornet was compelled to continue on a descending path by their angle and in very short order, had passed the point of no return from which it could not fly free. There, it will be digested by enzymes in the liquid in the bottom of the trap, providing the plant with a nutritious meal.

Odd as it may seem, this Sarracenia as well as some others are hardy in our northern climate. Mine live in saucers of water on the back porch and will be left out until nighttime temperatures drop to the mid-twenties. This Sarracenia has survived in my care for a number of years now, and has so abundantly filled its pot that I will need to divide it next spring, likewise a second species called "Carolina Yellowjacket." Although they don't do a perfect job of keeping my porch mosquito-free, they certainly put a dent in the population.

She Of The Six Flowers

Day 246: This bit of botanical news comes from the home front: Sarracenia surprised me by putting up a total of SIX flowers this year! In 2015, two went to maturity and a third failed to develop, so I expected three at most. The winter cold nipped most of her pitchers when a 22-degree night caught me left-footed. I move her to an indoor "cold-room" (the old furnace closet) when temps are forecast to go below 24. As exotic as she appears, this species and indeed several other members of the genus are hardy in the Pacific Northwest climate. The loss of the majority of her traps didn't slow her up, though. More have sprouted to replace those which were damaged by frost, to the extent that I may have to divide the plant after she's done flowering. She's getting too big for her pot!

Sarracenia

Day 223: Don't let her modesty fool you. Madame Sarracenia is dangerous...if you're a bug. Even the flowers of this Pitcher Plant can trap and digest the insects which venture inside the central dome-like structure hidden behind that coy veil of petals. Sarracenia rubra is a carnivore, one of two species I keep under cultivation in saucers of water on my back porch. Both are hardy in the Pacific Northwest, although when nights dip into the low 20s, I bring them indoors. This year, Madame Sarracenia has sent up four blossoms for me, each rising 14-18" above the rim of her pot. Only one is fully open at this time (it's tangerine-sized) and I suspect it will have faded by the time the last one opens. Hopefully, we'll have two at once at some point in the near future.

Little Shop Of Horrors

Day 214: Any time I've posted a picture and description of Sarracenia, the comments invariably include some reference to Audrey from "Little Shop of Horrors" (a film I had never seen until recently). You see, she's carnivorous...well, technically "insectivorous," but you get the idea. She eats bugs by the hundreds. In fact, the saucer of water in which she rests her feet is a breeding ground for mosquito larvae, but the air around her is remarkably mosquito-free. She has some help from another Pitcher (a different variety) with an equally prodigious appetite, and between the two of them, they maintain my back porch as one of the few places in my yard where I can sit without being eaten alive.

I've had her for four or five years now, and each year, she's rewarded me with one or two bizarre flowers. The stems stand well above her pitchers, rising 16-18" above the pot. When fully open, the blossom shows an umbrella-shaped structure in the center, five tongue-like petals draped around the dome. Last year, a third bud appeared but did not mature. This year, she has FOUR, each of which has been visibly swelling over the last several hot days, and new pitchers are developing to replace those nipped by frost when I accidentally left her outside on a 22-degree night. She's a hardy one, Audrey, but that was a bit much to ask.

Houseguests

Day 77: In and out, in and out. Nights in the low twenties might be fine for Sarracenias living in a bog, but with no more soil around their roots than can be contained in a pot, that's the point at which I bring them indoors for a sleep-over. When morning comes, it's back out on the porch for both of them. As you can see, the system is working. Sarracenia rubra (right) has been with me for three winters, and has gone from a mere half dozen pitchers to a pot so crowded, I may have to divide it next spring. Carolina Yellow Jacket (left) was a new addition to my collection of carnivorous plants early this spring. It has also multiplied rapidly. As exotic as they appear, the Sarracenias are amazingly hardy!

Inner Sanctum

Day 253: Audrey's vivid colours are fading now, but her mysterious blossoms are still as fascinating as ever. Under the central "umbrella," structures common to almost all plants can be seen. Style, stamen or ovary, none is particularly remarkable. It is only her manner of concealing them which renders her such a thing of beauty. She is elegant, this lady, knowing what to reveal and when to reveal it. The next time you put on short shorts or a pair of tight-fitting jeans, keep that in mind.

Audrey Glorious

Day 239: Two out of three ain't bad! Audrey's third bud has not increased from pea-size as her two others have prospered, now as fully open as they will ever appear. Their peculiar structure is visible in this photo: an umbrella-shaped style with stigmata concealed in the interior of the dome. Insects enter Sarracenia's "inner sanctum" at the bases of the innermost petals, and only the cleverest pollinators escape her trap. Audrey's primary line of defense is not her blossom, however. Enzymes within the bases of her "pitcher" foliage dispatch and digest any insect which happens to enter the tube-like leaves. When I trimmed back her winter-killed tips this spring, I found each pitcher filled to a depth of several inches with the indigestible husks of beetles, flies and even spiders. No fertilizer for this gal! She can take care of herself.

Audrey Emergent

Day 229: The bizarre flowers of my Sarracenia rubra (lovingly nicknamed "Audrey") are beginning to open. Audrey is the pride of my garden, although because of her specialized growing requirements, she resides in a pot on the back porch where her feet can be kept constantly wet in the bog-like conditions she prefers. Surprisingly easy to grow for as exotic as this Sarracenia appears, she has rewarded me with two blossoms this year with a third seemingly arrested in its development while no bigger than a grape. The central domed structure of a mature flower is golf-ball sized, the petals surrounding it 2-3 inches in length. At the base of each inner petal is a small gap which allows insects into the interior of the dome, as I discovered last year when I dissected the flower after it was completely spent. Audrey's digestive juices had dispatched any and all trespassers into her inner sanctum, "woe to all ye who enter here." The dome itself seems to function in preventing insects' possible escape, compelling them to alight where they will be trapped and consumed. One has to marvel at the process of genetic selection which allowed such a plant to develop in this manner. When you think about it, it makes human beings seem rather boring overall.

Little Shop Of Horrors

Day 213: My friends call her "Audrey" after the plant in the movie "Little Shop of Horrors" (which I have yet to see, by the way). Sarracenia is putting up a total of three flowers this year, the third much slower to develop than these two. We're still a couple of weeks away from seeing this lovely carnivore's mysterious and beautiful blossom, and after she's enticed us with her flamboyant show, her pitchers will begin rising from the ground, hungry for mosquitoes and flies. When I trimmed back dead tips, I couldn't help but notice how well she'd guarded the back door. In the depths of each pitcher were dozens of husks, the indigestible portions of her meals.

One, Two, Three!

Day 182: I must be doing something right. Sarracenia rubra has not one, not two, but three blossoms coming! Can you spot the third one? It's hiding out behind the one on the right.

You might think that these showy and mysterious carnivorous plants are tropical, but in fact the Sarracenias are native to the United States and Canada and are quite hardy, despite their exotic appearances. Mine thrive on my back porch, and I only bring them indoors when nighttime temperatures dip into the low 20s. The secret to keeping them is in providing the bog-like conditions they favour. They like peaty soil, and their pots should be kept standing in an inch or two of water (depending on size) at all times.

The flowers are spectacular, peaking approximately two months from the time they break the ground (see my posts for 23 June last year), and hang on for four weeks or more, the vivid colour gradually fading to a sere brown. If you want a conversation piece for your garden, you couldn't do better than a Sarracenia.