Parrot Beak Pitcher Plant

Description:

One of the most unusual shaped Sarracenia varieties, the Parrot Pitcher Plant has a bulbous head that has a vague similarity to a parrot’s beak. The leaves are beautifully marked with red veins and white spots and its flowers are a deep red, which open later in the season than other Sarracenia varieties. Growing to a height of only six inches, it is one of the smallest Sarracenia species.

Habitat:

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Gulf Coast Refuge Complex, which includes Grand Bay NWR and Bon Secour NWR. The refuge was established in 1975 under authority of the Endangered Species Act to protect the critically endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes and their unique, and itself endangered, wet pine savanna habitat.

Notes:

Sarracenia psittacina employs the trapping mechanism of using a small entrance in the pitcher mouth, which prey goes through in search of more nectar that was produced by the plant on the rim of the pitcher mouth. The prey is then confused by light shining through what appear to be false exits (or "windows") and crawls toward the brighter area down into the pitcher. Criss-crossed downward-facing hairs densely line the interior of the pitcher, forcing the prey further into the pitcher to an area where digestive enzymes such as proteases are prevalent in the liquid.