Appearance
Like other members of the genus ''Sarracenia'', the green pitcherplant traps insects using a tubular rolled leaf which collects digestive juices at the bottom. The pitcher tube of this species is similar to that of ''Sarracenia flava'', but has a wider pitcher mouth and neck and is usually somewhat shorter, reaching only 60 cm.The uppermost part of the leaf is flared into a lid, which prevents excess rain from entering the pitcher and diluting the digestive secretions within. The upper regions of the pitcher are covered in short, stiff, downwards-pointing hairs, which serve to guide insects alighting on the upper portions of the leaf towards the opening of the pitcher tube.
The opening of the pitcher tube is retroflexed into a 'nectar roll' or peristome, whose surface is studded with nectar-secreting glands. Prey entering the tube find that their footing is made extremely uncertain by the smooth, waxy secretions found on the surfaces of the upper portion of the tube.
Insects losing their footing on this surface plummet to the bottom of the tube, where a combination of digestive fluid, wetting agents and inward-pointing hairs prevent their escape. Some large insects have been reported to escape from the pitchers on occasion, by chewing their way out through the wall of the tube.
Pitchers can vary from all green plants to lightly and heavily veined examples, as well as clones with heavily pigmented throats. Traps also take on a pink or red flush as they age.
Naming
''Saracenia oreophila'' takes its name from the mountainous regions where it grows. The generic name ''Sarracenia'' is from Michel Sarrazin [1659–1734], a French-Canadian naturalist who first described a specimen of the genus, and ''oreophila'' literally means "mountain-loving," from Greek ''oreophilos''.Status
Green pitcherplants are listed as Endangered on the United States Endangered Species Act and there is an Action Plan for their recovery.Predators
The green pitcher plant has suffered a devastating decline throughout its former range. Development for both urban and rural uses has led to the widespread alteration of the specific bog habitat of this species. Pitcher plants have also been over-collected for the commercial plant trade; such rare and unusual species are very popular with collectors. Today, around 34 naturally occurring populations persist but these are small and highly fragmented; most consist of fewer than 50 individuals.References:
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