Purple Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Play pronunciation

Pitcher plants are carnivorous herbaceous perennials found in bogs or swamps in North America, mostly in the Southeast. The taxonomy of the genus is unsettled, with botanists recognizing between 8 and 11 species, numerous infraspecific taxa, and up to 22 natural hybrids. Pitcher plants are members of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae). The genus name, Sarracenia, honors Dr. Michael Sarrazan of Quebec, who was the first to send a living pitcher plant to Europe in the early 1700s.

Pitcher plants prefer full sun during the growing season. Some species prefer afternoon shade. They require moist to wet, acidic soils of sand and peat, but mostly sand. The biggest mistake is keeping the plants too wet; while they tolerate occasional flooding, they are not aquatic plants. Pitcher plants do not like fertilizers and are 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. Pitcher plants go dormant in the fall, and dormancy continues until spring. The leaves will turn brown, but it is best to wait and remove the dead foliage in the spring just before the flowers emerge.

The plant has a specialized carnivorous leaf that forms into a narrow hollow cone. The color of the pitcher varies from red, purple, white, green, yellow, copper, or multi-colored, depending on the species. The opening of the cone usually has a hood or lid that prevents the insect from escaping and/or rainfall from diluting the contents of the pitcher. In some species, the lid is reflexed and does not have a lid function. The neck of the plant is located where the lid attaches. The neck secretes nectar that attracts the insect. The insect climbs into the pitcher to feed on the nectar and slips and falls into the pitcher. These hapless insects become trapped and die. The decayed insect's nutrients are then absorbed by the plant as food. Showy flowers bloom in the spring. The flower appears as an upside-down umbrella and is on the top of a 6- to 24-inch-tall stalk. The flower color varies from red, purple, pink, yellow, white, copper, or multicolored. Bees pollinate the flowers. A seed pod forms from pollinated flowers and matures in the fall. A dry capsule will split open and reveal 20 to 300 pear-shaped seeds. The seeds are scattered and will germinate after a period of cold stratification. 

Pitcher plants are colorful and unusual. They grow best in bog gardens; however, they may be grown in containers, terrariums, greenhouses, or as indoor houseplants. Growing them outdoors can be difficult because moist conditions must be maintained at all times. Indoors, they require sun for the growing season and then winter dormancy.

Some pitcher plants are on the endangered species list while others are on the threatened list.  These plants are threatened by habitat loss, development, and over-collection. Never harvest these plants from the wild. They are best purchased from a reputable carnivorous plant nursery.

Quick ID Hints:

• clump-forming, growing in rosettes, from 6 to 36 inches tall and up to 2 feet wide, found in swamps or bogs
• specialized carnivorous leaf in the form of a hollow cone with a lid or hood
• flowers look like upside-down umbrellas on 6 to 24-inch stalks
• seed pod that turns brown at maturity and releases from 20 to 300 seeds

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The plants will do poorly if their specific growing conditions are not met. 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.