Sarracenia or new world pitcher plants are a genus of carnivorous plants native to the US and Canada. Their leaves form hollow cups that lure, entrap and drown insects, then absorb the nutrients into the plant's system. These nutrients are essential as Sarracenia normally inhabit bogs and swampland where low ph levels make the soil uninhabitable for most vegetation. About ten species and numerous hybrids comprise the group with several being endangered by habitat destruction. Only propagated specimens are culled from and the plants are not harmed by a modest harvest of their leaves.