California Pitcher Plant
Darlingtonia californica
The cobra lily, a hooded serpentine-seep endemic with a forked "tongue" and a translucent dome that leaves trapped insects unable to find the exit. Famously particular: it wants its crown warm but its roots cool, which in cultivation means flushing the pot with cold water. Worth the trouble as a specimen.
- Family
- Sarraceniaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–2.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- April, May, June, July, August
- Bloom colors
- red, yellow, green
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- container, specimen
- Native states
- CA, OR, WA