Pitcher Plant. A single petal hovers above the opening of a giant pitcher plant, with a bulb larger than a full-grown human. The petal acts as a lid above rows of jagged spines that fold inward, overlapping each other almost like shark's teeth. As soon as a victim comes near this maw, the overhanging petal slams down and the flower rapidly constricts. Its spines gnaw upon the captured prey, drawing it into the large, hollow pitcher to be dissolved in sweet-scented but acidic and toxic nectar. Because monstrous pitcher plants gain their nutrients from decomposing organisms, the plant is nearly rootless and moves about by extending and retracting four thick clusters of rootlike shoots. Giant pitcher plants typically grow between 8 to 10 feet tall and weigh 320 pounds.