Sarracenia Species
Sarracenia alata
Known as the pale pitcher plant, this plant is found from Southern Alabama westwards into East Texas. The pitchers are similar in height to Sarracenia flava, but are more slender. Variation is high from pure green pitchers to deep red/all red/maroon. Flowers are paler yellow than Sarracenia flava verging on white in some forms.
Sarracenia flava
This species in my opinion is one of the most elegant in this genus. The Pitcher can grow in some forms over 90cm tall. The pitcher is much more robust than any of the other species and the most varied; anywhere between almost pure green right through to pure red/maroon with virtually every possible variation in between. Flowers are yellow.
Recently, this species has been sub-divided into seven recognised varieties;
Sarracenia flava var. flava . This plant has red/purple venation in the throat and spreads out over hood and tube
Sarracenia flava var. maxima Nothing to do with the size of the plant, but the pitcher remains green with no red venation in the pitcher. Only the pitcher leaf bases have any red in them
Sarracenia flava var. atropurpurea. Lid and external pitcher has a deep red colour and the interior a pale tan
Sarracenia flava var. ornata This plant is what
one would call "Heavily veined"
Sarracenia flava var. rugelii. This is to me one of the most beautiful with pure green/yellow upper pitchers with a deep red/maroon "splotch" in the throat. This plant is indigenous to the Florida pan handle and southern Georgia
Sarracenia flava var. cupurea This plant is known as the "Copper top" variety. In some forms, the upper pitcher is copper coloured as well
.
Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora. This plant is the "Red tube form" from Florida. The interior being yellowish buff in colour and the lid having deep red/maroon vein Sarracenia
Sarracenia purpurea
This species is the most widespread of them all extending form Mississippi all the way up the east coast of the USA as far as the Labrador coast of eastern Canada to within 100 miles or so of the Great Slave lake of the Northwest Territory. This species consists of two sub-species and they meet at New Jersey where the two sub-species intergrade. The plant has red flowers. The sub species are;
Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa . This plant is the "Southern" plant. A pink petal variety has been named as "var. burkei"
Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea. This plant is the "Northern" plant. An interesting anthocyanin free form is found in Michigan and around the Great Lakes known as Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea f. heterophylla . This plant is pure green with no red pigment. The flowers are a greenish yellow.
Sarracenia leucophylla
This very attractive plant has white tops with red or green veins. The flower like pitchers catch large quantities of hover-flies which are attracted to the plant. The pitcher can grow up to 1m tall. This plant is unusual in having two crops of pitchers; one in Spring and another more robust set in late Summer/Autumn. Normally the plant has red flowers, but there are at laest 3 yellow flower forms including an anthocyanin free form.
 |
 |
This plant occurs in South West Georgia, Northwest Florida, Southern Alabama and just into Mississippi.
Sarracenia psittacina
This plant has a very different pitcher to all the other species. This plant traps its prey by using the "lobster pot" type of trap. The pitchers lie about horizontal to the ground and by means of downward pointing hairs guide prey to the digestion zone. The plant uses "windows" to deceive the prey to the trapping zone.
Sarracenia minor
This upright pitchers use the "window" method to deceive insects. The pitchers are hooded to cut out light at the entrance to the trap. Pitchers grow to about 25 to 30cm in height with the typical forms, but in the Okefenokee swamp in Southeast Georgia, pitchers can be over 1m tall. Flowers are yellow.
Sarracenia oreophila
Very similar to Sarracenia flava in many ways, but with some taxonomic differences; winter leaves (phyllodia) are sickle shaped low to the soil surface compared to Sarracenia flava where they are straight and much more upright. The front of the pitcher rim has no "spout". This plant is almost extinct in the wild now.
Sarracenia rubra
This species is sub divided into five sub species;
Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra . This plant grows less than 30cm tall. It has small red flowers. The pitcher are very slender with thin red veins
Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryi. Similar to the above,but more stocky and the front of the pitcher has a frontal spout. A giant form occurs around Chatom in Alabama where the pitchers exceed 40cm. The plant has red flowers but there are yellow and orange flowered forms.
Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis. This plant produces weak pitchers in the Spring but much stronger pitchers in Autumn. The plant grows only in Alabama where there are only eleven sites left.
Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii. As with ssp. alabamensis, this plant is also on the verge of extinction. This plant is recognisable from the others by having a distinct bulge below the pitcher rim.
Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis . This plant is taller and more robust than wherryi or rubra subspecies. The pitcher can take a very bronzy hue to the pitcher when grown in strong light. There are a few all green anthocyanin free forms in cultivation.
