Post by jfowler on May 15, 2010 18:13:36 GMT
Just got back from one of the premier sites for Sarracenia jonesii in upstate South Carolina. The pitcher plants were doing quite well on the granite bald, since we had a wet winter and a very wet spring. There is only a couple of inches of boggy soil on top of the solid granite bald, but this landscape supports quite a diversity of plants.
The pitcher plants pictured below are almost three feet tall (~75 cm), and are quite robust. However, they are imperiled by marauding feral hogs. This has been a problem for many of our threatened and endangered plants in South Carolina. Unfortunately, hunters are continuing to bring in hogs for sport hunting. Those hogs that survive have to eat something, so they root around in the soft, boggy soil that supports these beautiful plants. Although the state DNR sets traps for the hogs, many are left to continue to do damage.
The horned bladderwort doesn't look much like a carnivorous plant, but just underground, its roots have little pouches that catch tiny aquatic insects! The flower stalk is about one foot (~30 cm) tall, so it seems odd that its leaves are only 1/3 inch (~7 mm) long (rightmost portion of the image). The flower has a sweet fragrance that is hard to ignore...
05-15-2010 Sarracenia jonesii (Mountain sweet pitcher plant)
05-15-2010 Utricularia cornuta (horned bladderwort)
The pitcher plants pictured below are almost three feet tall (~75 cm), and are quite robust. However, they are imperiled by marauding feral hogs. This has been a problem for many of our threatened and endangered plants in South Carolina. Unfortunately, hunters are continuing to bring in hogs for sport hunting. Those hogs that survive have to eat something, so they root around in the soft, boggy soil that supports these beautiful plants. Although the state DNR sets traps for the hogs, many are left to continue to do damage.
The horned bladderwort doesn't look much like a carnivorous plant, but just underground, its roots have little pouches that catch tiny aquatic insects! The flower stalk is about one foot (~30 cm) tall, so it seems odd that its leaves are only 1/3 inch (~7 mm) long (rightmost portion of the image). The flower has a sweet fragrance that is hard to ignore...
05-15-2010 Sarracenia jonesii (Mountain sweet pitcher plant)
05-15-2010 Utricularia cornuta (horned bladderwort)
