Sarracenia leucophylla Play pronunciation

The whitetop pitcher plant is a rhizomatous, carnivorous herbaceous perennial native to Georgia, coastal Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. While not native to North Carolina, it has been introduced and has naturalized in the coastal plains. It is a member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae). The species epithet is compounded from the Latin and means “white leaf.”

These plants require specific growing conditions but can be grown at home in a carefully prepared bog garden. They can also be grown in a container in 50/50 mixes of peat/sand or peat/perlite. Pitcher plants prefer full sun during the growing season. If grown in part shade, leaf coloring does not develop as it should and pitchers droop. This species tolerates more wetness than most other species of pitcher plant and must never be allowed to dry out. Commercial potting mixes and fertilizers can kill the plant and it is sensitive to dissolved salts. Rainwater or distilled water may be used in place of tap water for container plants. The pitcher plant goes 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. Most reproduction comes from budding along the rhizome and the easiest propagation is by rhizome division. Plants can be grown from seed, but seedlings will not flower for the first 4 or 5 years.

Whitetop pitcher plant grows in clumps in pine savannas. Showy flowers bloom in the spring, appearing as an upside-down umbrella on the top of a tall stalk. Bees pollinate the flowers. A seed pod forms and matures in autumn. A dry capsule will split open and release tiny seeds. The seeds are scattered and will germinate after a period of cold stratification. 

Never harvest these plants from the wild. They are best purchased from a reputable carnivorous plant nursery. Whitetop pitcher plant is well suited to bog gardens, rain gardens, and children’s gardens. In a container, it can be the talking point for any garden. Florists have used cut leaves (pitchers) of the whitetop pitcher plant as accents in floral arrangements.

Quick ID Hints:

• clump-forming carnivorous plant found in swamps or bogs
• tall, narrow, lidded pitchers the tops of which are white with green and/or red veins

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 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.