Sarracenia Biology
Because Sarracneia have to live in harsh, nutrient-poor environments, they
have evolved alternate methods of obtaining nutrients other than typical root
nutrient absorption. Sarracneia are
carnivorous plants. They are commonly called the North American Pitcher Plants
because they grow modified leaves that are in the shape of pitchers and tubes.
They use these specialized leaves to attract, catch, kill, and digest insects
and other small fauna. Prey is lured to the pitcher’s mouth with the use of
bright coloration, nectar secretion, and sometimes scent production. Prey falls
into the leaf is trapped inside. The plant’s leaf then secretes digestive
enzymes that gather in a pool of liquid at the bottom of the pitcher. These
enzymes digest the prey, breaking the prey items down into simple compounds.
These compounds, the most important ones being those containing nitrogen and
phosphorus, are then absorbed into the plant. The plant’s leaves also
photosynthesize to make sugars, but it is those additional nutrients that the
plant acquires from their carnivorous capabilities that are important. By
evolving carnivory, Sarracneia are
able to obtain nutrients that they cannot obtain directly from the soil
(Schnell, 2002 and Siragusa et al,
2007).
Sarracenia
is a genus composed of about a dozen species that have multiple forms,
varieties, and subspecies in addition to a large number of naturally occurring
hybrids, all of which are carnivorous and perennial. Sarracenia are also currently popular in the carnivorous plant
hobby. Many have been produced en masse via tissue culture, a method that takes
plant tissue and creates new plant clones in laboratory conditions. The
resulting clones are then grown and sold at garden stores and other commercial
outlets. In the hobby, there have been a significant amount of hybrids,
cultivars, and varieties grown and crossed that do not occur naturally in the
wild. The hobby plays an important part in Sarracenia
conservation, but is sometimes a controversial subject (Rice, 2006).
Sarracenia go dormant in the winter and
cease their vegetative growth. In spring, mature plants will flower and begin
growing again. Flowers rely on bees as their main pollinators. Sarracenia have relatively complex
flowers that prevent self fertilization. Once fertilized, the flower will
produce a small dry fruit over the summer. In late fall the dry fruit will
dehisce (split open) and drop seed. The seed overwinter and germinate the
following spring. It takes a relatively long time, from three to five years,
for a seedling to mature and be able to flower (Schnell, 2002).