Sarracenia rubra
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- sair-ah-SEEN-ee-ah ROO-bruh
- Description
-
Sweet Pitcher Plant is a carnivorous plant native to SE USA. It quickly grows to form clumps of 12-24 inch tall pitchers as leaves with digestive juices in the bottom of the tube. They are generally green to copper colored with red veining and a hood over the top to help prevent rain from getting inside. Downward facing hairs and nectar secreting glands help lure insects into the tube. The pitchers produced in spring tend to be smaller and floppier than the ones produced in summer. The flowers have long strap-like red petals and are produced April-June.
They grow in infertile, acidic mucky soils in swamps, bogs and stream banks in sunny locations. Similar conditions must be met in the home bog garden to successfully grow these plants. It is also possible to grow them in a container.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Five subspecies
- Five subspecies
- Five subspecies
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- Five subspecies
- Five subspecies
- Five subspecies
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Sarracenia
- Species:
- rubra
- Family:
- Sarraceniaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- SE USA
- Distribution:
- GA, NC, SC
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Carnivorous
- Native Plant
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- 5-parted seed capsule
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- Red-maroon flowers have 5 long strap-like petals that dangle over the umbrella-like style. Sweet-scented
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Narrow, green, heavily veined, upright pitchers. Top of the pitcher is marbled reddish brown. Summer-produced pitchers are more robust than those produced in spring.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pond
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Water Garden
