Pitcher plant is the common name for a large range of carnivorous genera including Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Nepenthes, Cephalotus, and Heliamphora. They are very unique-looking plants and come in a wide range of colors and even shapes.

Pitcher plants get their name from their rolled-up leaves that form tube-like edges and create a pitcher shape. The plant is able to lure and trap it’s food by producing nectar inside of their pitcher. Once the prey come to get the nectar, they slip and fall into the pitcher and often aren’t able to get out due to a cap covering the opening of the pitcher, intoxicating or anesthetic substances lining the pitcher which weaken the insects, or the slippery inside that contains water that will often eventually drown the worn-out prey.

Source: Orchids Made Easy

Pitcher Orchid. Photo credit: Randy Neufeldt