Question
I have a terrarium with a Chameleon, would it be safe to plant a sweet pincher plant [sarracenia purpurea]? I think it would thrive in the enviroment but I'm worried it will hurt him.

Answer
Hi Dan,

None of the Sarracenia are capable of hurting a lizard.  Only the larger Nepenthes capture small vertebrates.

That brings us to the bigger issue at hand here.  Should a Sarracenia be in a terrarium at all?  The answer is no, unless you don't really want the plant to live very long.  Sarracenia pitcher plants are U.S. natives and do best as outdoor container plants.  A terrarium is a tropical environment, and Sarracenia are not tropical plants.  For more details on growing Sarracenia visit:  http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=7&chapter=1

Here's the good news.  Several tropical carnivorous plants would be great in a terrarium.  Smaller Nepenthes such as N. ampullaria N. gracilis and N. ventricosa do great in lighted terrariums.  So do tropical sundews such as Drosera adelae,  and Mexican butterworts such as Pinguicula moranensis.  For more details on these plants visit: http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3&zenid=d2c5eff8cfec4f6dd4...


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com