October 31, 2004

  • More Sarracenia.  I have to take more pictures of Bella too.  I loved the one with her looking up.  See my last post for what I'm talking about.


    But I did take some better pictures of the Sarracenia I got.  Here's another look at what I think is just a variant of S. purpurea.  Please, if anyone knows which species this is, or which hybrid you think it might be, let me know.  The base of this one is still a bit wobbly -- it was in the store when I bought it, but it appears to be doing okay.  But I love the pitchers, for both the color and the ruffled hood.



    Here's a close up of the interior of the pitcher you can see above at about 6 o'clock.  What I'm also finding remarkable about this plant is how much a pitcher will change as it grows from tiny green shoot to stunning purple flute.  The hood, in some cases, is all but indistinguishable in the younger leaves.  Nonetheless, the next picture is a great shot of the tiny stiff hairs that line the upper zone of the pitcher.  They make it much easier for the prey to go downward further into the pitcher and much more difficult to go back up.



    And this one just screams, "Feed me, Seymour!"



    Here's the other variety I got, what I think is S. formosa.



    Same family, but different pitchers. These don't have that ruffled hood.  The opening and dome rather reminds me of the Ace of Spades, as in the card.



    And finally, one of the things common to all Sarracenia, and indeed plants in general, is that purple coloration that becomes more pronounced in strong sunlight.  Some varieties can take full sun, and in fact like it, but most prefer a bit more diffusion.  This window in my kitchen seems to be a "lucky window" -- we've had a Phaelenopsis orchid bloom relentlessly during its growing season with minimal care -- so I'm hoping it'll be lucky for these plants too.  I think it's resting at the moment, or I'd post pix of that too.  But you can see in this next picture, rather than the purple burnishing of the whole pitcher, the fine purple veining in this variety.



    My mom's a bit grossed out by the plants, but I really don't understand why.  They eat bugs, pests, for heaven's sake.  In fact, we had a little fruit fly outbreak that seems to have gone away since I brought these babies home.  I mean, she eats cow tongue, for pity's sake, and if that's not really disgusting, I don't know what is.


    P.S. Disclaimer:  I've eaten -- no, tasted -- bug before, specifically green ants from Australia.  They were like acidic lime, and alarmingly tasty, especially in that "hot" battery-acid-like candy sort of way.  I thought they were actually good, and I've even got actual taste buds.  Y'know, as opposed to just digestive enzymes like my plants.