noun
pitcher plant
Refers to plants of the genus Nepenthes, known for their pitcher-shaped traps. In Japanese, often specifically the tropical pitcher plant.
温室で珍しいうつぼかずらを見た。
I saw a rare pitcher plant in the greenhouse.
うつぼかずらは虫を捕まえることで知られている。
Pitcher plants are known for catching insects.
Standard kanji spelling for the pitcher plant.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for plant names.
Variant kanji spelling; 葛 is a common character for vines.
The name うつぼかずら is composed of 靫 (utsubo, 'quiver') and 蔓/葛 (kazura, 'vine'), referring to the pitcher shape resembling a quiver. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.