The carnivorous plant that uses a lobster-pot trap and is native to California and Oregon is the cobra lily. Its scientific name is Darlingtonia californica, and it is also called the California pitcher plant or California cobra plant.
Its tubular leaf forms a trap with a swollen, hooded top that resembles a cobra’s head and forked tongue. Insects are attracted inside by nectar and visual markings, then become disoriented by the translucent windows and slippery inner surfaces. Downward-pointing hairs guide them deeper into the tube, where escape becomes difficult.
The “lobster-pot” description refers to the trap’s one-way design: prey can enter but struggles to find the exit. This differs from the snap trap of a Venus flytrap and the sticky flypaper trap of a sundew.
Darlingtonia grows in cool, wet habitats, especially mountain seeps and stream margins. Unlike many pitcher plants, it often relies heavily on cool water flowing around its roots, making cultivation more demanding than its dramatic appearance suggests.