 |
 |
|
Home Products Mail Order News WeBlog Links Sitemap Contact us |
||
|
|
|
|
||
Why not come along and discover the wide variety of herbaceous plants we have at Growing Matters Garden Centre All are of the best quality and sold
at very affordable prices. |
||
| Pot
Size Large Medium Small |
Price £2.50 £1.50 60p |
|
House Plants Our houseplants are sold at very competitive prices. We have a selection of good quality
houseplants on sale in the greenhouse. |
||
| Pot Size Large Medium Small |
Price £2.50 £1.50 60p |
|
|
|
||
| Exotic & Unusual Plants |
| Carnivores | Succulents | |
| Pitcher Plants Sarracenia Purpurea SSP Venosa Monkey Cups |
Misc Pinguicula x Wesser Butterwort
|
Cacti Cactus
Collection
|
| Sarracenia Purpurea SSP Venosa |
| Sarracenia
(Sarraceniaceae) is part of a group of eight species of pitcher
plants that originate from North America.
We bought our specimen of Sarracenia purpurea ssp venosa at Southport Flower Show in 2006. In May 2007 it was re-potted into a much larger container to allow for further growth. When we first purchased our Sarracenia it was placed in the Alpine House at Growing Matters. However, it was soon moved to the main greenhouse as it was thought it was stand a better chance of catching prey. |
 |
 |
 |
The species we have at Growing Matters is Sarracenia purpurea ssp venosa which is a subspecies of Sarracenia purpurea. Sarracenia purpurea is also know as the Purple Pitcher Plant and, as with one of its species, the pitchers are actually of a deep purple colour. With our specimen (Sarracenia purpurea ssp venosa) the plant has a spread of purple veins running towards the top of the pitchers. Habitat Sarracenia like to live in boggy conditions where the soil is permanently wet which is low pH and low in nutrients. In order to mimic these conditions for our specimen we used a mix of 1 part sharp sand, 1 part leaf mould and 3 parts Sphagnum Moss. The pot also stands in two centimetres of rainwater and is watered regularly to keep our Sarracenia moist. |
|
| Catching Prey A scented nectar like substance forms around the lip of the pitcher, which is then used to attract prey. The internal slippery surface and a number of downward facing hairs within ensure that the prey not only falls down inside the pitcher, but also, is unable to climb out again. Once inside, the prey will drown inside the rainwater that collects inside the pitcher and is then digested by the enzymes that are produced by the plant. As the amount of prey that these plants
can take is limited, we have also been feeding our Sarracenia by
hand. This involves placing live prey into the pitchers. We have
found this plant can digest a number of creatures, which includes:-
aphids, flies, grubs and even small slugs. |
 |
|
Return to top of page Return to Home Page This site and all it's content are copyright © 2004 - 2008 Growing Matters Garden Centre. All rights reserved. |