*Pitcher Plant, any of various insect-eating plants that have a trap, formed from leaves, resembling an elongated pitcher with a lid. Insects are attracted to the plant by a nectar secreted from the upper part of the leaves. Entering the mouth of the pitcherlike structure, the insects are caught by downward-pointing bristles and gradually slip to the bottom of the trap, drowning in a liquid secreted by the plant. Through the action of enzymes in the liquid and of bacteria, the prey is digested.

*Pitcher plants native to North America are members of the family Sarraceniaceae, which includes the genera Sarracenia and Darlingtonia. Sarracenia species inhabit moist areas in eastern North America and grow to a height of about 3 feet (90 cm). They include a northern species, the purple pitcher plant , which has purple flowers, and a southern species, the yellow pitcher plant, which bears bright yellow flowers. Plants in the genus Darlingtonia, found in California and Oregon, grow to a height of about 2 feet (60 cm) and have yellow or purplish flowers.

*Old World pitcher plants, which belong to the genus Nepenthes, in the family Nepenthaceae, exist mainly in Borneo, although some are found in Australia and southern China. Unlike the New World plants, these species have a stalk and are characterized by a pitcher structure with a smooth, rather than bristly, inner surface.

"Pitcher Plant." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2011.

Location of Pitcher Plants:

Carnivorous Plants