iCobra Lily
Darlingtonia's translucent leaves confuse insects trying to escape
Conservation status
Least concern (LR/lc)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Family: Sarraceniaceae Genus: Darlingtonia Species: D. californica
Binomial name
Darlingtonia californica Torr., 1853
Darlingtonia distribution

Darlingtonia californica, also called the California Pitcher plant or Cobra Lily, is a carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with running water. This plant is designated as uncommon due to its rarity in the field.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1130 KB) Description: Darlingtonia californica Picture taken by: NoahElhardt Date: 7/7/05 Location: Botanical Trail, northern California File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Sarraceniaceae Darlingtonia... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Families See text. ... Genera Darlingtonia Heliamphora Sarracenia Families of Flowering Plants as of 2002-10-20 Sarraceniaceae is the Pitcher plant family, belonging to order Ericales, previously Nepenthales. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... John Torrey (August 15, 1796 - March 10, 1873) was an American botanist. ... Image File history File links Darlingtonia. ... Pitcher of Nepenthes distillatoria. ... Nepenthes mirabilis in flower, growing on a road cut in Palau A carnivorous plant (sometimes called an insectivorous plant) is a plant that derives some or most of its nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, especially insects and other arthropods. ... Genera Darlingtonia Heliamphora Sarracenia Families of Flowering Plants as of 2002-10-20 Sarraceniaceae is the Pitcher plant family, belonging to order Ericales, previously Nepenthales. ... Northern California, sometimes abbreviated NorCal, refers to the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ...

The name Cobra Lily stems from the resemblance of its tubular leaves to a rearing cobra, complete with a forked leaf - ranging from yellow to purplish-green - that resemble "fangs" or a serpent's "tongue." The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... Egyptian Cobra Cobras are venomous snakes of family Elapidae, of several genera. ...

The plant was discovered in 1841 by the botanist William D. Brackenridge at Mount Shasta. In 1853 it was described by John Torrey, who named the genus Darlingtonia after the Philadelphian botanist William Darlington (1782-1863). 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mount Shasta, a 14,179-foot (4,322 m)[1] stratovolcano, is the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range and the fifth highest peak in California. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... John Torrey (August 15, 1796 - March 10, 1873) was an American botanist. ...

Biology

Darlingtonia californica: note the small entrance to the trap underneath the swollen 'balloon', and the colourless patches that confuse prey trapped inside.

The cobra lily is unique among the three genera of North American pitcher plants in two ways. First, it does not trap rainwater in its pitcher. Instead, it regulates the level of water inside manually by releasing or absorbing water into the trap that has been pumped up from the roots. Second, unlike some other pitcher-plants, its leaves don't produce any digestive enzymes. The cells that absorb nutrients from the inside of the pitcher are the same as those on the roots that absorb soil nutrients. Instead, the California pitcher plant relies on symbiotic bacteria and protozoa to break down the captured insects into easily absorbed nutrients. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1349 KB) Summary Description: Darlingtonia californica Picture taken by: NoahElhardt Date: 7/8/05 Location: Rocky Creek Trail, OR Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Carnivorous plant Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1349 KB) Summary Description: Darlingtonia californica Picture taken by: NoahElhardt Date: 7/8/05 Location: Rocky Creek Trail, OR Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Carnivorous plant Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... Binomial name Darlingtonia californica Torr. ... Genera Darlingtonia Heliamphora Sarracenia Families of Flowering Plants as of 2002-10-20 Sarraceniaceae is the Pitcher plant family, belonging to order Ericales, previously Nepenthales. ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent sea anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ...

In addition to the use of lubricating secretions and downward-pointing hairs common to all pitcher plants to force their prey into the trap, this species carefully hides the tiny exit hole from trapped insects by curling it underneath and offering multiple translucent false exits. Upon trying many times to leave via the false exits, the insect will tire and fall down into the trap. The slippery walls and hairs prevent the trapped prey from escaping. The only other species that utilizes this technique is the Parrot Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia psittacina'. Sarracenia range (all species) Species See text. ...

A remaining mystery surrounding the cobra lily is its means of pollination. Its flower is unusually shaped and complex, typically a sign of a close pollinator-plant specialization, but none have been identified. The flower is yellowish purple in color and grows on a stalk with a similar length to the stalk. It has five sepals, green in color, which are longer than the red-veined petals. While pollination has not yet been observed in action, it is generally expected that the pollinator is either a fly attracted to the flower's unpleasant smell or some nocturnal insect, as no extensive study has been performed to observe potential nighttime pollinators. A flower-fly pollinating a Common Daisy (Bellis perennis) Pollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). ... Field of Poppy flowers Cluster of Clivia miniata flowers A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... Flower of the Primrose Willowherb (Ludwigia octovalvis) showing petals and sepals A sepal is one member or part of the calyx of a flower. ... A pollinator is the agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain. ...

Care in cultivation

Darlingtonia californica: Plants in cultivation.

The Darlingtonia californica can be one of the most difficult carnivorous plants to keep in cultivation, but this depends on the area in which they are cultivated. They prefer cool to warm day-time temperatures and cold or cool night-time temperatures. The problem is that cobra lilies typically grow in bogs or streambanks that are fed by cold mountain water, and grow best when the roots are kept cooler than the rest of the plant. It is best to mimic these conditions in cultivation, and water the plants with cold, purified water. On hot days, it helps to place ice cubes of purified water on the soil surface. They prefer sunny conditions if in a humid, warm location, and prefer part-shade if humidity is low or fluctuates often. Plants can adapt to low humidity conditions, but optimum growth occurs under reasonable humidity. ImageMetadata File history File links Darlingtonia_californica02. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Darlingtonia_californica02. ... Binomial name Darlingtonia californica Torr. ... Lütt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg in northern Germany. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... Purified water can come from any source, including spring water, well water, sea water, or municipal water. ... Purified water can come from any source, including spring water, well water, sea water, or municipal water. ... Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air. ...

Darlingtonia californica: A single plant in cultivation, clearly showing the first pitcher of the season. The first few pitchers at the beginning of each growing season are much larger than the others.

Growing cobra lilies from seed is extremely slow and cobra seedlings are difficult to maintain, so these plants are best propagated from the long stolons they grow in late winter and spring. When a minute cobra plant is visible at the end of the stolon (ususally in mid to late spring), the whole stolon may be cut into sections a few inches long, each with a few roots attached. Lay these upon cool, moist, shredded long-fibered sphagnum moss and place in a humid location with bright light. In many weeks, cobra plants will protrude from each section of stolon. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1650x1723, 471 KB) Photo was taken and made by an author of the Darlingtonia californica page. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1650x1723, 471 KB) Photo was taken and made by an author of the Darlingtonia californica page. ... Binomial name Darlingtonia californica Torr. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Sunflower seedlings, just three days after germination Germination is the process where growth emerges from a resting stage. ... A stolon is an aerial shoot from a plant with the ability to produce adventitious roots and new offshoots of the same plant. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... Species See text. ...

Darlingtonia californica: Northernmost natural population.

Like many other carnivorous plants, cobra lilies require a cold winter dormancy in order to live long-term. Plants die down to their rhizomes in frigid winters and will maintain their leaves in cool winters during their dormancy period. This period lasts from 3 to 5 months during the year, and all growth stops. As spring approaches, mature plants may send up a single, nodding flower, and a few weeks later the plant will send up a few large pitchers. The plant will continue to produce pitchers throughout the summer, however much smaller than the early spring pitchers. Download high resolution version (960x1280, 632 KB)Darlingtonia (pitcher plant). ... Download high resolution version (960x1280, 632 KB)Darlingtonia (pitcher plant). ... Binomial name Darlingtonia californica Torr. ... Dormancy is a arrested plant growth. ... Ginger rhizome A rhizome is, in botany, a usually underground, horizontal stem of a plant that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. ... Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce. ... Field of Poppy flowers Cluster of Clivia miniata flowers A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... Pitcher of Nepenthes distillatoria. ...

Many carnivorous plant enthusiasts have succeeded in cultivating these plants, and have developed three new color morphs: all green, all red, and red-green bicolor.

Wild-type plants are all green in moderate light and bicolor in intense sunlight.

See also

• Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside, Florence, Oregon

Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside (18 acres) is a state park and botanical preserve located 5 miles north of Florence, Oregon on Highway 101, just south of Sutton Lake. ... Florence is a city located in Lane County, Oregon. ...

References

1. ^ The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California

• Schnell, D., Catling, P., Folkerts, G., Frost, C., Gardner, R., et al. (2000). Darlingtonia californica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Darlingtonia californica

• The Carnivorous Plant Society - Darlingtonia californica
• Darlingtonia State Natural Site
• Beautiful photography and extensive information about Darlingtonia

This list of carnivorous plants is a comprehensive listing of all known carnivorous plant species. ...