Carnivorous Plant Sarracenia rubra (Sweet Pitcher Plant, Red Pitcher Plant) Names and Pictures
Chinese name: Red Pitcher Plant
Alternative names: Sweet Pitcher Plant, Red Pitcher Plant
Latin scientific name: Sarracenia rubra
Family and genus: Sarraceniaceae Sarracenia
Origin and distribution: United States
The red pitcher plant is a relatively large, elegant carnivorous plant with upright pitcher-shaped leaves and vivid colors, and a total of five subspecies. The pitchers are 26-61 cm tall, mostly green, some with fine red stripes, and some entirely red. Its form is similar to the traps of Nepenthes; it can secrete nectar and digestive fluid. Insects lured by the nectar lose their footing and fall into the pitcher, and the digestive fluid inside the pitcher digests and absorbs the insects. It likes warmth and requires relatively high humidity, and is suitable for growing in a semi-shaded, wind-sheltered environment. The red pitcher plant is often used for potted ornamental display, accenting indoor windowsills, balconies or desks, exceptionally novel and very interesting.
Red Pitcher Plant / Sweet Pitcher Plant Gallery: How to Grow Red Pitcher Plant / Sweet Pitcher Plant / How to Propagate Red Pitcher Plant / Sweet Pitcher Plant
Chinese scientific name: Red Pitcher Plant, Sweet Pitcher Plant, Red Pitcher PlantLatin name: Sarracenia rubra Walt.
Place of origin: United States
Growing medium: During the growing season, pitcher plants are better suited to the tray method of cultivation; a mixed medium of 1 part peat plus 1 part perlite or coarse sand can be used.
Survival temperature: 7-35 degrees C
Suitable temperature: 21-35 degrees C
Humidity: >50%
Introduction:
The red pitcher plant is also called the sweet pitcher plant, because it is not only beautiful but also has a sweet fragrance. The leaves are basal, long funnel-shaped, up to 60 cm long, with narrow wings along the edges; the mouth of the insect-trapping pouch is wavy and smooth, like a narrow red lip, and is easy to identify because the slender red pitcher leaves have no fenestrations on them.
The red pitcher plant (scientific name: Sarracenia rubra Walt.) is a relatively large, elegant carnivorous plant with upright pitcher-shaped leaves and vivid colors, and a total of five subspecies. The pitchers are 26-61 cm tall, entirely red. Its form is similar to the traps of Nepenthes; it can secrete nectar and digestive fluid. Insects lured by the nectar lose their footing and fall into the pitcher, and the digestive fluid inside the pitcher digests and absorbs the insects. It grows in lowland swamps. Plants of the genus Sarracenia are not afraid of cold and are particularly suitable for ordinary home cultivation without a greenhouse or conservatory. Combined with their strong reproductive capacity and ease of management, this has made them widely popular potted carnivorous plants in European and American countries today. Wild plants are native to the United States.
Chinese scientific name: Red Pitcher Plant
Latin scientific name: Sarracenia rubra
Alternative names: Sweet Pitcher Plant, Red Pitcher Plant
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Dicotyledons
Order: Ericales
Family: Sarraceniaceae
Genus: Sarracenia
Species: Sarracenia rubra
Subspecies: 5 subspecies
English name: Sweet Pitcherplant
1. Morphological characteristics
The red pitcher plant is also called the sweet pitcher plant, because it is not only beautiful but also has a sweet fragrance. The leaves are basal, long funnel-shaped, up to 60 cm long, with narrow wings along the edges; the mouth of the insect-trapping pouch is wavy and smooth, like a narrow red lip, and is easy to identify because the slender red pitcher leaves have no fenestrations on them. The lid is roughly circular and bright red. The petals are dark red, with large green sepals. It is a perennial herb with creeping rhizomes and many fibrous roots; the leaves form a rosette at the base, the tubular leaves are upright, and the pitcher-shaped leaf has an insect-trapping pouch. The opening of the pouch wall is smooth and bears nectar glands that secrete sweet nectar to lure insects to come and fall into the pouch. The pouch wall is smooth and contains digestive fluid, which can secrete digestive enzymes to break down insects, which are then absorbed by proteolytic enzymes released from glands formed by parenchyma cells on the inner wall; in addition, in autumn and winter the pitcher plant grows sword-shaped leaves. These leaves have no insect-trapping pouch and produce nutrients only through photosynthesis.
The flowers are bisexual; the inflorescence emerges from the base of the leaves and is a loose raceme composed of several large flowers together. The flower center consists of 1 helmet-shaped stigma, a 3-5 chambered ovary and 50-80 stamens. The flowers are red, the lower part of the petals is usually green or brown, with red stripes in the center, and some flowers are entirely red on the lower part. The flowers open facing downward, with 5 circular sepals located below the petals. The fruit is a capsule, rough, with a knobby surface, containing many small seeds, and it splits open automatically when ripe and ejects the seeds.
2. Growing environment
It likes warmth and requires relatively high humidity, and is suitable for growing in a semi-shaded, wind-sheltered environment.
3. Insect-trapping method
The pitcher-shaped leaves of the pitcher plant are effective insect traps. The pouch-shaped pitcher leaves have bright colors, and their openings often secrete sweet nectar to lure insects to come and feed. Once a deceived insect climbs to the top and tries to cross the pitcher mouth to crawl into the inner wall, it slips and falls into the pitcher because the inner wall is very slippery. Falling into the digestive fluid in the pitcher, an insect trying to crawl out of the pitcher is blocked by the downward-pointing hairs on the inner wall, and finally, exhausted from struggling, falls back into the digestive fluid and drowns. The digestive fluid of the pitcher plant contains proteolytic enzymes secreted by the glands on the pitcher wall, which can dissolve the proteins of the drowned insect corpses and turn them into nutrient amino acids that are absorbed by the pitcher wall.
4. Geographical distribution
It grows in lowland swamps and is distributed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, the Gulf Coast region of the United States, and Georgia (9 counties).
5. Cultivation techniques
Containers The native habitats of plants in the genus Sarracenia are mainly peat bogs and lean wetlands, where they remain moist year-round. Therefore, for artificial cultivation of pitcher plants, the preferred growing medium should be living sphagnum moss, followed by dried sphagnum moss, which can be soaked thoroughly with water and then used directly as a growing medium. In addition, peat soil can also be used directly to grow pitcher plants. If 1/3 acidic coarse sand can be mixed into it to facilitate air penetration around the roots, the effect will be even better.
As for the cultivation container, since pitcher plants grow better when the roots are soaked in a little water, it is better to choose a pot with a half-depth water reservoir for planting. Such containers are relatively rare on the market. To make one yourself, the method is to nest an ordinary unglazed red clay pot or plastic pot inside a narcissus bowl. The key is that the outer narcissus bowl should be positioned at the upper half of the planting pot, that is, at the "waist," so that after watering, the water that leaks out soaks the planting pot up to its waist. In addition, pitcher plants in pots are generally grown in hanging baskets or plastic pots. After purchase, choose a water tray for the waist-water method, and once matched, cultivation will be very beneficial.
Medium During the growing season, pitcher plants are better suited to the tray method of cultivation; a mixed medium of 1 part peat plus 1 part perlite or coarse sand can be used. During dormancy, they need to be removed from the water tray and kept relatively dry to prevent root rot. Pure sphagnum moss, or a mixed medium of 2 parts peat plus 1 part perlite or coarse sand, can also be used.
Nutrients Use a water source with low mineral concentration. During the growing season, the tray method is suitable for maintaining high medium humidity. During the growing season, use a general compound fertilizer diluted 4,000 times and spray it on the leaves or pour it into the pitcher to 1/3 of its height, 1-2 times a month. Spray water frequently to maintain relatively high air humidity. In summer, avoid hot dry winds and concentrated fertilizer, and prevent the water temperature from becoming too high, otherwise it will cause root rot. During the autumn and winter growing period, it should receive sufficient light, but in midsummer it should be appropriately shaded to avoid scorching of the leaf tubes under strong direct sunlight. Red pitcher plants grown in sufficient sunlight in the open ground have fresher, greener and more beautiful pitcher leaves than those grown in greenhouses and sheds. Leaf spot disease and red spider mite damage sometimes occur. For leaf spot disease, spray with a 500-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder. For red spider mites, spray with a 2,000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
Temperature To successfully cultivate pitcher plants, it is very important to understand the temperature they require. Generally, the required temperature in summer should be 21-35 degrees C, and in winter 1.7-7 degrees C is more suitable. It is worth noting that all plants of the genus Sarracenia are capable of withstanding light frost. Therefore, in artificial cultivation, there is no need to move them into a greenhouse in winter, except in extremely severe cold.
Humidity The pitcher plant is a wetland carnivorous plant that can grow immersed in swamps year-round in the wild, so it needs an extremely wet environment for vigorous growth. Under artificial cultivation conditions, if grown with the waist-water nested-pot method, when watering you can pour water directly into the outer pot or water until the outer pot is full. If grown in an ordinary leaking flowerpot, during the vigorous growing season, watering once a day and misting should be maintained to create high-humidity environmental conditions, especially in hot summer, when the number of waterings can be appropriately increased to 2 times to compensate for the rapid transpiration of water under the hot sun. In the winter dormancy period, watering can be restricted, keeping the growing medium in the pot slightly moist.
Light In its natural growing sites, the pitcher plant thrives in ample direct sunlight. Under ample sunlight, keeping its underground soil cool is very beneficial to its growth. But during dormancy, light can be reduced to a minimum or it can go dormant in a completely lightless environment. Therefore, for artificially cultivated pitcher plants, 6-8 hours of sunlight per day is best. If light is insufficient, potted pitcher plants will become dull in color and leggy, and the plant's original bright red color will disappear and turn dark green.
Fertilizing In the wild, pitcher plants grow in poor swamps and absorb supplementary nutrients by trapping insects with their insect-trapping pouches. In artificial cultivation environments, although there are plenty of insect sources, regular fertilizing is essential to make potted pitcher plants grow quickly. Generally speaking, during the vigorous growing period, fertilizing should be done once every 3-4 weeks. The application method can be spraying or drenching, and diluted liquid fertilizer can also be poured into the insect-trapping pouch for absorption. Some people, when cultivating pitcher plants, manually catch some killed small insects and put them into the insect-trapping pouch for the plant to absorb as supplementary nutrients. Some even put pieces of minced pork or beef into the insect-trapping pouch, thinking they can be digested and absorbed. In fact, doing so is counterproductive: not only is the nutrient supplementation ineffective, but the rotting meat will also cause the pitcher to wither prematurely, that is, the pitcher bag will be corroded into a large hole by the rotting meat. The fertilizer concentration for pitcher plants is generally preferably 2,000-5,000 times dilution. Relatively dilute liquid fertilizer is beneficial for rapid absorption by the plant after application, and when pouring liquid fertilizer into the insect-trapping pouch, even more attention should be paid to concentration. Once the winter dormancy period arrives, fertilizing can stop until warmth returns the following spring and vitality reappears.
Pest and disease control The pests and diseases harming pitcher plants are mainly caused by a poor cultivation environment, such as poor ventilation, excessive shade, too cold or too hot conditions, and air pollution. Common pests include red spider mites and aphids. Once discovered, they can be killed by spraying with a 1,000-fold dilution of omethoate or dicofol. Diseases are mainly root rot caused by rotting sphagnum moss. At this time, repot promptly, remove the old growing medium, cut off the rotten roots, and then replant with new growing medium. In addition, poor ventilation and excessive shade make black spot disease more likely. At this time, change the environment, cut off diseased leaves, and then spray with chlorothalonil or lime sulfur mixture for control.
6. Subspecies introduction
Red Pitcher Plant (5 subspecies)
1.
Alabama Pitcher Plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis
2.
Gulf Pitcher Plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis
3.
Jones Pitcher Plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii
4.
Sarracenia rubra subsp. rubra
Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra
5.
Wherry's Red Pitcher Plant
Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryi
7. Main value
Landscape The red pitcher plant is often used for potted ornamental display, accenting indoor windowsills, balconies or desks, exceptionally novel and very interesting. A rectangular flower trough can also be opened in the courtyard to specially plant red pitcher plants of different colors, competing in beauty and creating a distinctive style.
Insect prey As carnivorous plants that use traps as insect-catching devices, they usually attract insects with nectar. On the insect trap of the red pitcher plant, there are many nectar glands near the pitcher mouth that can secrete a juice containing fructose. However, this juice is not a delicacy, but a dangerous poisoned wine! These juices used to lure insects contain, in addition to fructose, a substance called coniine, used to harm insects. When insects consume this toxic liquid, they become dazed, or paralyzed, or die, and that is why Nepenthes and the red pitcher plant can easily catch so many insects. However, Nepenthes seems somewhat more merciful, as the toxicity of its nectar is lower, so most ants that come to feed can return safely to their nests, and only the most careless or deeply poisoned ants fall into the pitcher. By comparison, the red pitcher plant is much more dangerous. Its nectar is usually a fatal poison, and insects die from poisoning and fall into the pitcher. [/td][/tr][/table]
[Bayberry Pictures] When do bayberries ripen_How to eat bayberries?
Bayberry is a shrub plant and small tree plant belonging to the genus Myrica in the family Myricaceae. It is also called tree berry, white-tip berry, and sacred berry. It is a plant with very good practical value and medicinal value, and is quite popular among people. Bayberry is native to the Yuyao area of Zhejiang, China, and is also distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, and East China. There are more than fifty varieties in the genus Myrica. In China there are Chinese bayberry, white bright berry, bayberry, dwarf bayberry, green bayberry, and so on, and bayberry has very good economic value. Below let us take a look at when bayberries ripen, and how to eat bayberries?
[Introduction to Bayberry]
Bayberry is a precious fruit variety and is quite popular among people in summer. Its branches and leaves are very luxuriant, and its crown is very round and neat. In early summer it grows red fruits, which look very lovely and very attractive, but it is an excellent variety for combining landscaping with production.
Bayberry is generally planted in courtyards, lawns, as solitary specimens, along roadsides, and so on, or planted densely to use space for screening. Bayberry has very good economic value. Its flesh is sweet and sour and pleasant, can be eaten directly, and can also be processed into dried bayberry, candied fruit, paste, brewed into bayberry wine, and so on. For the human body it can help digestion, promote saliva production and quench thirst, and beautify the face.
[Medicinal value of bayberry]
The flesh of bayberry is rich in glucose, malic acid, oxalic acid, fructose, lactic acid, wax, citric acid, and so on, and also contains anthocyanin monoglucosides and a small amount of glucosides. The leaves contain abundant tannins, volatile oils, and so on. The nature and flavor of bayberry are sweet-sour, warm, and it mainly enters the lung and stomach meridians. It has effects such as harmonizing the stomach and promoting digestion, promoting saliva production and quenching thirst, and so on, and is mainly for patients with dysentery, abdominal pain, excessive thirst, vomiting and diarrhea, drunkenness, cleansing the intestines and stomach, abdominal pain, and so on. The fruit of bayberry is mainly for dysentery, vomiting and diarrhea, and pain of the heart and stomach.
[When do bayberries ripen]
Bayberry fruits generally ripen in May, and the time for picking bayberries is generally after the Dragon Boat Festival. They generally grow in areas with relatively low altitude and relatively high temperatures, and bayberries ripen relatively early. However, if they grow at relatively high altitude with relatively low temperatures, especially in mountainous areas at more than 1,000 m, the ripening time of bayberry fruits is much later, and may be postponed to the end of the fifth lunar month, and some varieties may also be delayed to the sixth lunar month.
[How to eat bayberries]
The flesh of bayberry is very attractive in its red color, and its taste is very sweet and sour. It can be eaten directly, and its nutritional value is also very high. Of course, bayberries can also be processed into dried bayberry, candied fruit, paste, and so on, and can also be brewed into bayberry wine. The taste is very good, it has good health benefits, and it can also help digestion, promote saliva production and quench thirst, harmonize the stomach and stop vomiting, promote digestion and urination, astringe the intestines and stop diarrhea, and so on. Let us take a look together at how to make bayberry wine and olive bayberry soup:
1. Bayberry wine: First, the materials needed are bayberries, two bottles of baijiu, rock sugar, and one honey jar. Soak the bayberries in lightly salted water for a period of time, then take them out and drain the water, then put the bayberries into the jar, add some rock sugar inside, then pour in the baijiu. The baijiu should cover the bayberries, then seal the bottle well, shake it evenly, and then place it in a cool place to store for a period of time. Generally after half a month it is ready to drink, but the bayberries after soaking can no longer be used. When drinking bayberry wine, you can add soda and ice cubes to increase its flavor, and then it can be drunk directly.
2. Olive bayberry soup: First select an appropriate amount of bayberries and fresh olives. After cleaning the fresh olives and bayberries, put them into a pot, then add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer over gentle heat. If you find it too sour, you can add an appropriate amount of rock sugar and simmer it. Olive bayberry soup has effects such as promoting saliva production and quenching thirst, and clearing heat and detoxifying, and is mainly for patients with acute tonsillitis, acute pharyngitis, cough with thick phlegm, chest thirst, alcohol poisoning, summer heat, indigestion, and so on, all of whom can drink it.
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