Question
Cobra Lily
Steve Doonan,
I am curious to know what type of Cobra Lily I have. I have attached a picture of the plant. Hopefully you can see what type of it is from the picture.
Sincerely,
Weylin
AnswerHello Weylin--
There is only one species of cobra lily, Darlingtonia californica. However, just like other plants of only one species, such as the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) and Australia's pitcher plant (Cephalotus follicularis) there is some genetic diversity, differences for example in color and form. Some Darlingtonia plants are redder than others, for example.
There are two main populations of Darlingtonia: those that grow near the coast of Oregon and northern California, and those that grow a little farther inland in more mountainous areas.
Darlingtonia have a reputation for being hard to keep alive. The mountain-growing Darlingtonias are considered easier to grow than the coastal ones, perhaps only because they may grow more conservatively or have adapted to slightly more challenging conditions than those in which the coastal Darlingtonia live.
Growing them in slightly shadier conditions than Venus Flytraps or Sarracenia and making sure they are always moist but not overwatering them may help. If overwatered, Darlingtonia can develop more top growth (more leaves) than the roots can adequately support, so it's better to allow the roots to grow more than the leaves by watering somewhat conservatively, while still keeping the growing medium moist and keeping the all-important growing crown of the plant at the surface from drying out completely.
For more information, I would recommend asking questions of the AllExperts carnivorous plant expert Sarracenia Northwest, and I recommend joining a carnivorous plant forum such as one of the following:
FlytrapCare.com Forum
http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/
CP UK Forum (Carnivorous Plants UK)
http://cpukforum.com/
Best wishes,
Steve
