Sarracenia alata Play pronunciation

Yellow trumpets is an herbaceous perennial and carnivorous plant in the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae) native to marshes and bogs, pinelands and wet forest floors in the southern states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In pine forests, it can be found in meadow-like openings. The species epithet is Latin for "winged" and refers to the flange or ridge on the ventral side of the pitcher.

Yellow trumpets prefer full sun during the growing season. They require perpetually moist to wet, acidic soils of sand and peat, but mostly sand. Like all pitcher plants, this species does not like fertilizers and is sensitive to dissolved salts in chlorinated water. Rainwater or distilled water may be used in place of tap water. The plants should not be manually fed or given food scraps. The plants go dormant in the fall, and dormancy continues until spring. The leaves will turn brown, but it is best to wait and remove the foliage in the spring just before the flowers emerge. Indoors they require sun for the growing season and then winter dormancy.

Yellow trumpets capture and digest insects for nutrients. The flowers of this plant hang at the tip of its leafless stems. The flowers are large in comparison to the leaves. Each stalk has one flower. Never harvest these plants from the wild. They are best purchased from a reputable carnivorous plant nursery.

This species is appropriate for children’s gardens, as well as carnivorous, rain, and pollinator gardens. 

Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: They must be protected from freezing winds. Monitor for aphids, scale, mealybugs, moth larvae, leaf spots, and root rot.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

More information on Sarracenia.