Sarracenia minor Play pronunciation

The hooded pitcher plant is a native, carnivorous herbaceous perennial from the Southeastern coastal areas of the United States, including the southern portions of coastal North Carolina. It is a member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae). The species epithet is Latin and means "smaller or lesser."

These plants require specific growing conditions but can be grown at home in a carefully prepared bog garden composed of an acidic, humus-rich mix that is constantly damp to wet. The plants require full sun. If grown in part shade, leaf coloring does not develop as it should and pitchers droop. The plant's crown should not be below the waterline. They could also be grown in a container, in a 1:1 mix of peat and sand or peat and perlite. The plants must never dry out. Rainwater or distilled water may be used in place of tap water. The pitcher plant goes dormant in the fall, and new leaves emerge in spring. The leaves will turn brown, but it is best to wait and remove the foliage in the spring just before the flowers emerge.

These plants grow in swampy areas with poor soil and can digest small invertebrates. Like all pitcher plants, the hooded pitcher plant has specialized leaves that form into a narrow hollow cone that serves as a trap for insects. The insects are attracted to the extrafloral nectar of the plant and then fall into the pitcher. They become trapped and die. The decayed insect's nutrients are then absorbed by the plant as food. The light spots on the back of the hood, or "windows," are meant to confuse flying insects by making them think it is a way out; they exhaust themselves trying to escape and fall back into the plant. The leaves are typically 1 to 2 feet tall with open ends topped by canopy-like hoods. A variety of the hooded pitcher plant (S. minor var. okefenokeensis) restricted to the Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia can reach 3 to 4 feet high. Flowers are yellow and occur from late winter to early spring. The plants spread by rhizomes. 

Pitcher plants have been threatened in the wild by ongoing development; however, cultivated varieties are available. Never harvest these plants from the wild. They are best purchased from a reputable carnivorous plant nursery. The hooded pitcher plant makes a great accent or conversation piece in a native plant garden, a children’s garden or a rain garden.

Quick ID Hints:

• Clump-forming, carnivorous plant with erect, hooded pitchers.
• Leaves with translucent “window” spots near the apex of the pitcher.

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.