Western Australian Pitcher Plant

Western Australian pitcher plant, (Cephalotus follicularis), also called fly-catcher plant, Albany pitcher plant, or Australian pitcher plant, carnivorous plant, native to damp sandy or swampy terrain in southwestern Australia, the only species in the flowering plant family Cephalotaceae (order Oxalidales). As with most carnivorous plants, the Western Australian pitcher plant is photosynthetic and relies on carnivory as a means of obtaining nitrogen and other nutrients in marginal soil conditions. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the plant is popular among collectors and is primarily cultivated through seeds or cuttings rather than from collection from the wild.

Reaching a height of about 20 cm (8 inches), the Western Australian pitcher plant is a small perennial herb with numerous underground rhizomes. Unlike most other pitcher plants, it bears “traditional” leaves in addition to those that are modified as pitfall traps for insects and other small prey. The carnivorous leaves form short, green pitchers and are protected by a hairy red-and-white-striped lid that prevents rainfall from filling the trap. The coloration of the lid is also thought to attract prey and features patches of semitransparent tissue that confuse and exhaust flying insects within the trap. The opening of the pitcher is adorned with a number of smooth, dark red rings that produce an attractive nectar and prevent climbing insects, primarily ants, from escaping. Inside, the pitcher features two types of glands that produce fluid and digestive enzymes to break down the prey and allow the nutrients to be absorbed. The plant bears small bisexual flowers on long stalks to distance potential pollinators from its traps.