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Pitcher plant is mysterious

If you are a regular reader of this column then you know that the School of Horticulture was involved in the landscaping of the brand new mini golf course in Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park.
pitcher plant
The pitcher plant is one of the most mysterious plants in the world. Photo by Patricia Hanbidge

If you are a regular reader of this column then you know that the School of Horticulture was involved in the landscaping of the brand new mini golf course in Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park. In the later part of June, we took a little bit of time out to hike the Boundary Bog trail. I have many fond memories of this trail over the years. While hiking you can view many terrestrial orchids that are native to Saskatchewan. This hike was amazing because the pitcher plants were in full bloom and what a beautiful thing it was to see them in their full glory.

The pitcher plant is one of the most mysterious plants in the whole world and it has inspired multitudes to reshape their concept on how nature really works. It was declared the flower of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1954, but actually appeared on the new Newfoundland penny in the late 1880s. More than 100 years ago, Queen Victoria chose the pitcher plant to be engraved on a newly minted Newfoundland penny.

It is commonly found in bogs and marshland areas throughout the province. It is an attractive plant with a wine-red flower boasting a red and gold center and hollow pitcher-shaped leaves that are attached to the base of the stem.

There is something suspenseful about watching a pitcher plant. This amazing plant stores up a sweet-smelling juice that lures unsuspecting insects into the mouth of the plant. When the insect is about to take a sip the insect falls into the fluid and flails helplessly until it loses energy and submits to the fate of becoming food. The fluid is actually not an ordinary nectar, but contains chemicals similar to what would be found in the stomach and slowly dissolves the prey into a liquid fertilizer like compound. During the summer months, pitchers quickly fill up with prey such as flies, ants, spiders and even moths.

It took millions of years before these simple leaves became carnivorous and gradually over time developed deeper dents and evolved to having the ability to dissolve insects to provide proteins, nitrogen and other minerals that compensate for what is not available through the soil.

Sarracenia purpurea commonly known as the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae. The range in which this plant grows is almost the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, the Great Lakes and southeastern Canada, which makes it the most common and most broadly distributed pitcher plant. It is also the only member of this genus that inhabits colder temperate climates. This species has also been introduced into bogs in parts of Ireland, where it has proliferated.

There are many other carnivorous plants equally as fascinating as even when they are not trapping insects, their unusual forms are intriguing. Please do not collect plants such as these from the wild as they are in the most part relatively rare due to habitat destruction and over collection. They are readily available through reputable growers who generally use tissue culture or other vegetative propagation means to grow the plants.

— Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at growyourfuture@gmail.com; facebook: @schoolofhort; twitter: @hortiuclturepat; instagram: patyplant or at saskhort.com.