Carnivorous Plants in North Carolina


Sarraceniaceae

Trumpets, aka Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
Johnston Co., NC
29 May 2005

Found mostly in the coastal plain & sandhills in NC, this plant occurs in bogs & wet savannas.

Trumpets (Sarracenia flava) Trumpets (Sarracenia flava)
Pender Co., NC
24 April 2004

Purple Pitcher Plant <I>(Sarracenia purpurea) Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Johnston Co., NC
29 May 2005

Widespread but uncommon to rare in NC coastal plain and mountains. Found mostly in bog & wet savanna habitats.

Purple Pitcher Plant <I>(Sarracenia purpurea) Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Pender Co., NC
23 April 2006
Purple Pitcher Plant <I>(Sarracenia purpurea) Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Pender Co., NC
23 April 2006
Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Johnston Co., NC
29 May 2005

The petals are fairly short-lived and fall off of the flower while the rest of the flower remains for weeks.

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra)
Longleaf Pine savanna in Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008

Uncommon in the NC coastal plain in pine savanna habitats. Note pitchers are relatively small and lack translucent white spots near hood.

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra)
Longleaf Pine savanna in Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra)
Longleaf Pine savanna in Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008

Maroon petals appear on the flowers in April and then wither and fade over the next couple of weeks as the rest of the flower stalk remains (see pictures below).

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra)
Longleaf Pine savanna in Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) Sweet Pitcher Plant, Redflower Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra)
Longleaf Pine savanna in Brunswick Co., NC
18 May 2008


California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007

Endemic to southern Oregon and northern/central California, the Cobra Lily is known from only a handful of bogs and seeps.

California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007

Cobra Lilies are carnivorous, feeding on insects that get trapped inside the pitchers.

California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007
California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007
California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007

Old flower withering with young fruit developing inside.

California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia californica)
Bog near Quincy in Plumas Co., CA
15 July 2007

Fruit still unripe but a little more developed than above.


Lentibulariaceae

Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea) Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006

The name "butterwort" comes from the slippery feel of the leaves, which entangles hapless invertebrates that crawl on and get stuck. The plant then digests the invertebrate for nutrition.

Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea) Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006
Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea) Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006
Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea) Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006
Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea) Blueflower Butterwort (Pinguicula caerulea)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006
Small Butterwort (Pinguicula pumila) Small Butterwort (Pinguicula pumila)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006

Dionaeaceae

Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula) Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006

Probably the most famous of all carnivorous plants, the Venus Flytrap is endemic to the Carolinas and is a federally protected plant. Fortunately it is easily propogated so that poaching and harvesting from the wild is unnecessary.

Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula) Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006

Unsuspecting insects or other arthropods crawl through a trap, essentially tripping a trigger hair, which causes the trap to close around the victim. Digestive enzymes are then secreted, allowing the plant to absorb nutrients like proteins for growth.

Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula) Venus Flytrap (Dionea muscipula)
Pender Co., NC
23 Apr 2006

Droseraceae

Roundleaf Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) Roundleaf Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia)
Alleghany Co., NC
1 July 2006

Uncommon to locally rare in bogs and seepages in NC, usually associated with Sphagnum.

The sticky hairs trap crawling insects, which the plant then digests as a nutritional supplement.


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Created on ... May 17, 2004 | Updated on Apr 25, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com