Sometimes called a “pitcher plant”, Darlingtonia Calofirnica are a carnivorous plant that digest insects in the bottom of a large tube.
From the sign at the “Darlingtonia State Natural Site” five miles/8 km North of Florence on Hwy-101 on the southern Oregon coast.
“These cobra-like plants, Darlingtonia Calofirnica, are found natively in the bog areas of Northern California and Southwestern Oregon. They flower in May and June with hanging blooms of yellow and red and produce up to a dozen leaves per plant. Erect seed pods remain most of the summer.”
“Insects are lured into the left opening under the hood by nectar on the colorful ‘petal like’ appendages and the edges of the opening. Once inside the hood the insects become confused my the many transparent areas in the upper parts of the leaves which appear as exits. Keeping a foothold on the glassy smooth upper surface of the tube is difficult and eventually the insects aretrapped into the lower tube by sharp downward pointing hairs. After falling into a pool of liquid at the base of the leaf, the captive is digested and absorbed as food through the plants thin lower walls.”
Location via Google Maps
