Cobra Lily
Ease to Grow: Moderate to challenging
Dormancy: Required
Native Range: Serpentine streams of coastal Mts, CA/OR
Zones: 6-9 (5-10)
Darlingtonia californica or the Cobra Lily is in a class by itself among North American pitcher plants. It's tall, twisting lime-green tubes form a bulbous hood with numerous large windows. An appendage resembling a forked tongue hangs from the opening on the underside of the hood. Generally a lime-green, it develops a red tint in full sun. The hoods are richly laced with large white areoles (windows). Its traps are the most complex of all pitcher plants. Darlingtonia is clump forming, and with underground stolons, develops a nice colony in time. It grows in serpentine gravel soils along cold, fast running mountain streams in zones 9-6. It often grows in association with the butterwort Pinguicula macroceras nortensis. Darlingtonia struggles in cultivation where its roots are not kept wet and cool (50s°F). Despite this challenge, the Cobra Lily is a curious, and much sought-after specimen. Flowers are yellow and bell-shaped, resembling small Sarracenia. The small flowers are green and red. They generally bloom from April to July before the pitchers fully develop. Winter foliage stays green. Darlingtonia is named in honor of William Darlington, a 19th century botanist from Pennsylvania. It is a monospecific species. This stock is a mix of coastal and mountain forms of Darlingtonia. Our choice based on availability. Best growing success comes with keeping the roots cool.
Plants are shipped bare-root, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. In it's dormant season, it will be shipped as a dormant rhizome. Photographs are representative of species, and not the specific plant shipped.
Height: 6"- 40"
Plant Type: Perennial, temperate
Soil: Live Sphagnum Moss, Nepenthes Mix or All-Purpose Mix
Light: Bright indoors, full sun to partial sun outdoors
Use: Bog garden, greenhouse and indoors. Excellent accent plant.