Darlingtonia californica 'M'

The striking appearance of the Cobra-lily will doubtless amaze many plant lovers. In the first place the plant looks like a cobra snake, really bizarre. It is the rounded shape with its forked, tongue-like protrusions that make you think of a snake. Secondly the colours of this plant are remarkably beautiful; green veined with yellow and red. In order to attract insects the leaves of the plant also have small windows through which real daylight filters. The Darlingtonia californica’s natural habitat is North-America and it is the only plant of its sort. The snare in which the plant catches insects is a hollow cup containing a little water. At the bottom of the rounded shape of the plant is the entrance to the snare. A fly or another insect will fly into the snare from underneath, but will try to escape through the translucent windows at the upper edge of the cup. When the insect becomes tired or makes a mistake, it will drop down a little way into the cup-shaped snare. The walls of this snare are slippery and lined with hairs that prevent the insect from climbing up again. In the end the insect falls into the water of the cup and is digested. ARAFLORA is proud to also have this rare, carnivorous plant in her collection.

The Cobra-lily [Darlingtonia californica ] is a very special, beautiful and intriguing carnivorous plant. During the day the Darlingtonia californica prefers temperatures between the 10˚ and 25˚ Celsius [ 50˚ - 77˚F ].On the other hand the roots of this plant prefer lower temperatures and do not like standing in stagnant water. By making use of a large container and by putting ice cubes on the bottom of the container on very hot days the right conditions for growth can be achieved. The Cobra-lily needs watering with soft water like rainwater or osmosis water. The soil in which the plant grows , must be nutrient poor and permeable. ARAFLORA has successfully used a mixture of living Sphagnum, peat and perlite for this type of soil. In winter the plant will stop growing and will also need a colder temperature. Although the Cobra-lily is not the easiest type of carnivorous plant, it is definitely worthwhile to cultivate this plant. If the right kind of attention is paid to the conditions for its growth, this plant will be a great acquisition for any plant lover.