Sarracenia leucophylla

Sarracenia leucophylla, also known as the crimson pitcher plant. Inhabits moist and low-nutrient long leaf pine, primarily along the United States Gulf Coast, and generally west of the Apalachicola River on the Florida Panhandle. It is also found in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina. It grows very tall and has veined leaves. it occasionally produces flowers that are slender and trumpet like producing a very fragrant smell. This species is endangered due to wetland loss across different areas of the world in which they thrive. It is also endangered from being one of the largest and showiest Sarracenia species, and is vulnerable to poachers of living plants and to the cut-floral trade for use in flower arrangements. Sarracenia leucophylla is remarkably hardy and can be grown outside with careful winter protection. In cultivation it is generally less tolerant of stagnant water conditions and requires adequate soil drainage while still retaining requisite moisture levels to prevent root rot. They capture insects by producing nectar along the rim of their pitchers. When an insect starts to lick up the nectar, it tries to get more by reaching in the pitcher. When it loses its footing, it falls straight in. The inside walls of the pitcher are very smooth, so insects are not able to crawl out. They also can't fly out because there isn't any airlift, Eventually the insect dies from heat exhaustion or dehydration. As the insect decomposes, the plant absorbs its nutrients right through its leaves. To watch this, click here.