Cobra lily

The Cobra Lily is a species of carnivorous plant. Its scientific name is Darlingtonia californica. The name derives from the resemblance of the flower to the hood of a cobra.

Because many carnivorous species live in hostile environments, their root systems are commonly as highly modified as their leaves. The cobra lily is able to survive fire by regenerating from its roots, but despite this important role the roots are very delicate. While the temperatures in much of the species's range can exceed 25 °C, their roots die back after exposure to temperatures not much higher than 10 °C. Temperature plays a large part in the functioning of all plants, but it is very rare for individual organs to have such different temperature tolerances.The cells that absorb nutrients from the inside of the pitcher are the same as those on the roots that absorb soil nutrients. The efficiency of the plant's trapping ability is attested to by its leaves and pitchers, which are, more often than not, full of insects and their remains. The cobra lily can be one of the hardest carnivorous plants to keep, due to the specific temperatures that they desire. They prefer cool to warm day-time temperatures and cold or cool night-time temperatures. They prefer sunny conditions if in a humid, warm location, and prefer part-shade if humidity is low or fluctuates often. Plants can adapt to low humidity conditions, but optimum growth occurs under reasonable humidity.It takes extremely long amounts of time to grow these from seeds, so the best way to do it is by division. By taking smaller versions of it and allowing the new plants to sprout from within it.