The cobra lily, a species of lily of the angiosperms, also known as the California pitcher plant, is difficult to find and to cultivate. Its tubular leaves are arranged at an Angle, much like those of a tongue-spitting cobra.
Cobra Lily morphological characteristics
As is known to all, the cobra lily owns an unusual appearance making it easily figured out. Dangling from the curving, purple-mottled and yellow-green plant that has a form similar to a cobra is a specialized, its red leaf which seems like a cobra's tongue. This nectar-filled appendage attracts insects through an opening on its surface. The unsuspecting bugs finally fall into a chamber of bacterial-filled solution that dissolves them into plant-feeding broth. Because of its difficult growing conditions, cobra lily is a carnivorous plant that is best enjoyed in nature.
Cobra Lily growth habit and growing environment and distribution
Unlike other pitcher plants, the cobra lily does not collect rainwater in the pitcher. It actually pulls water from the soil through its roots to form water in the pitcher. Once the insects are trapped, the lubricated secretions and downward hair tufts will keep them from escaping, while the translucent exits are virtually nonexistent, making the trapped insects' struggles in the dying hours seem futile. Once trapped insects try to escape, they will gradually drown until they die. It is often found in streams and swamps in cold mountains.
Cobra Lily plant cultivation
Cobra lily is regarded as an usual plant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones. While a cobra lily native to the coast prefers a partial-to full-shade location to a site exposed to partial sun to full sun, especially in hot weather. Because the bulk of its nutrition comes from insects, cobra lily doesn't need fertilizer. Its survival relies on constant access to water. The plant spreads by its thick roots, which grow just beneath the soil's surface. Without a nearby source of cold, seeping water bathing and carrying oxygen to its rhizomes, a cobra lily probably will die.