Sarracenia rubra Play pronunciation

The Carolina sweet pitcher plant is a carnivorous herbaceous perennial native to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. It is a member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae). The species epithet is Latin for “red.”

Carolina sweet pitcher plants prefer full sun during the growing season and require moist to wet, acidic soils of sand or sand and peat. Rainwater or distilled water must be used in place of tap water, as the plants are sensitive to minerals and chemicals in household water. The plants should not be fertilized, nor should it be “fed” insects or food. Allow the plant to trap its own food. This species can be grown in a container, but it must never be allowed to dry out. The pitcher plant goes dormant in the fall. 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 seeds but will not flower for the first 4 or 5 years.

All of the plants of this species in North Carolina are Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra; other subspecies exist outside of NC.  Sweet Pitcher Plant is a host plant for larvae of the pitcher plant mining moth (Exyra semicrocea).

Carolina sweet pitcher plants are excellent additions to a carnivorous plant garden, rain or bog garden, or a pollinator garden. Like all carnivorous plants, they are great additions to a children’s garden.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Pitcher plants are generally not bothered by pests, but 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.