pitch·er plant • n. a plant with a deep pitcher-shaped pouch that contains fluid into which insects are attracted and trapped. Nutrients are then absorbed from their bodies by the plant. The Old World family Nepenthaceae and the New World families Sarraceniaceae and Droseraceae comprise many species, including the white-flowered California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) of the western US.

pitcher plant Any of several species of insectivorous plant of the tropics and sub-tropics. It traps insects in its vase-shaped leaves, which are lined with bristles. Trapped insects decompose and are absorbed as nutrients by plant cells. The flower is usually red. Height: 20–61cm (8–24in). Family Sarraceniacea; genera Sarracenia and Nepenthes.