Pitcher Plant

I remember the first time I met a Pitcher Plant. I had walked deep into some Ontario woods mushroom hunting, and found myself in some bogs. There it was, one of the most unique plants I have ever encountered.

The first thing about the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia Purpurea) is that it is entomophagous. It obtains its nutrients by consuming insects and does so two ways. One is to trap insects that land in its large petals with fine spines that prevent the insect from escaping. The other method, responsible for the majority of its nutrients, is the insects are lured by nectar to crawl up its pitcher shaped leaves filled with water, fall in and drown.

These pitchers secrete enzymes into the water to digest the drowned insects. The byproduct of the broken down insects feeds coexisting bacteria in the water and in turn, these bacteria help to further digest the insects. Sort of like probiotics in our stomach.

The most interesting part of all of this is that there is only two insects that live in the same environments as the pitcher plant that are immune to its enzymes. One of which, is the mosquito.

Medicinally, the roots of these plants have been used traditionally by First Nation tribes to treat infections like tuberculosis, which recent research is confirming due to the roots antimycobacterial activity.

These Pitcher Plants are Newfoundland’s official floral emblem. I met a captain and pointed out the Pitcher Plant on their flag and he was so upset about these plants being chosen to represent his province. “They were so strange looking and in bogs, so you could never reach them”.

Well, I think they’re amazing, and was thrilled to stand amongst them in such plenty while traveling Newfoundland.

Dr. Cristina Allen ND