White-Topped Pitcher Plant Sarracenia leucophylla

The Crimson Pitcher Plant is a stemless herbaceous perennial and hooded carnivorous plant native to Georgia, coastal Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. It prefers moist and low-nutrient long leaf pine savannas found along the coastal plain. While not native to North Carolina, it has been introduced and has naturalized in the coastal plains. It is clump-forming and grow in rosettes. It is endangered in some areas due to loss of habitat. The plant has specialized carnivorous leaves that form into a narrow hollow cone to serve as a trap for insects. The insects are attracted to the nectar of the plant and then crawl into the pitcher. They become trapped and die. The decayed insect's nutrients are then absorbed by the plant as food. 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 at the top of the flower and matures in the fall. A dry capsule will split open and reveal pear-shaped seeds. The seeds are scattered and will germinate after a period of cold stratification. The genus's name, Sarracenia, honors Dr. Michael Sarrazan of Quebec. In the 1700s, he sent the first pitcher plant to Europe. The species name means "white leaved".

An estimated 97.5% of Pitcher Plant habitats have been destroyed in the southeastern United States. They have been threatened in the wild by ongoing development; however, cultivated varieties are available. The Crimson Pitcher Plant is an endangered species. Never harvest these plants from the wild. They are best purchased from a reputable carnivorous plant nursery.

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 with Canadian peat or 50/50 mixes of peat/sand or peat/perlite . Pitcher plants prefer full sun during the growing season. They require moist to wet, acidic soils of sand and peat, but mostly sand. If grown in part shade, leaf coloring does not develop as it should and pitchers droop. These plants need an acidic, humusy muck that is constantly damp. This species tolerates more wetness than most other species of pitcher plant. Soils must never dry out. Potting soil and fertilizers can kill the plant and it is sensitive to dissolved salts in chlorinated water. Rainwater or distilled water may be used in place of tap water for container plants. The plants should not be manually fed or given food scraps. The plant cannot digest fats, and fertilizers can burn the plant. 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 will not flower for the first 4 or 5 years.

Seasons of Interest:

Bloom:  Spring      Foliage:  Spring and Summer

Quick ID Hints:

• clump-forming, growing in rosettes, found in swamps or bogs
• specialized carnivorous leaf in the form of a hollow cone with a lid or hood
• flowers are upside-down umbrellas on tall stalks
• seed pod that turns brown at maturity and releases seeds

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The plants will do poorly if their specific growing conditions are not met. The biggest mistake is to keep the plant too wet. 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.