The species:

Sarracenia alata: Known as the pale pitcher plant, this plant is found from Southern Alabama westwards into East Texas. The Pitcher can grow in some forms over 90cm tall. Variation is high from pure green pitchers to deep red/all red/maroon. Flowers are pale yellow verging towards white in some forms.

Sarracenia flava: The pitchers are similar in height to Sarracenia alata, but are stockier. This species is one of the most elegant of the genus. The pitcher is much more robust than any of the other species and the most varied; anywhere between almost pure green right through to pure red/maroon with virtually every possible variation in between. Flowers are yellow. Recently, this species has been sub-divided into seven recognised varieties;

Sarracenia flava var. flava: This plant has red/purple venation in the throat and spreading out over hood and tube.

Sarracenia flava var. maxima: The name has nothing to do with the size of the plant, but the pitcher remains green with no red venation in the pitcher. Only the pitcher leaf bases have any red in them.

Sarracenia flava var. atropurpurea: Lid and external pitcher have a deep red colour and the interior a pale tan.

Sarracenia flava var. ornata: This plant has intense red veining throughout the entire pitcher tube and lid. The degree of veining can vary considerably. Plants from the Carolinas tend to have finer more pencilled veining whereas those from Florida often has veining that is much more diffuse.

Sarracenia flava var. rugelii: This is one of the most beautiful with pure green/yellow upper pitchers with a deep red/maroon "splotch" in the throat. This plant is indigenous to the Florida pan handle and Georgia. In the latter state it is virtually the only sub-species that can be found.

Sarracenia flava var. cupurea: This plant is known as the "Copper Top" variety. In some forms, the upper pitcher is copper coloured as well. It occurs exclusively in the Carolinas.

Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora: This plant is the "Red Tube form" from Florida, the interior being yellowish buff in colour and the lid having deep red/maroon veining.

Sarracenia purpurea: This species is the most widespread of them all, extending from Mississippi all the way up the east coast of the USA as far as the Labrador coast of eastern Canada and within 100 miles or so of the Great Slave Lake of the Northwest Territory. This species consists of two sub-species and they meet at New Jersey where the two sub-species intergrade. The plant has red flowers. The sub species are:-

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa: This plant is the "Southern" plant. A pink petal variety has been named as "var. burkei", though perhaps controversially this variety has also been described as a separate species, S. rosei.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea: This plant is the "Northern" plant. An interesting anthocyanin free form is found in Michigan and around the Great Lakes known as Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea forma heterophylla. This plant is pure green with no red pigment. The flowers are a greenish yellow.

Sarracenia leucophylla: This very attractive plant has white tops with red or green veins. The flower-like pitchers catch large quantities of hover-flies which are attracted to the plant. The pitcher can grow up to 1m tall. This plant is unusual in having two crops of pitchers; one in spring and another more robust, set in late Summer/Autumn. Normally the plant has red flowers, but there are at least 3 yellow flower forms including an anthocyanin free form. This plant occurs in South West Georgia, Northwest Florida, Southern Alabama and Mississippi.

Sarracenia psittacina: This plant has a very different pitcher to all the other species. This plant traps its prey by using the "lobster pot" type of trap. The pitchers lie horizontal to the ground and by means of downward pointing hairs, guide prey into the digestion zone. The plant uses "windows" to deceive the prey to the trapping zone.

Sarracenia oreophila: Very similar to Sarracenia flava in many ways, but with some taxonomic differences; winter leaves (phyllodia) are sickle-shaped and low to the soil surface compared to Sarracenia flava where they are straight and much more upright. The front of the pitcher rim has no "spout". This plant is almost extinct in the wild now.

Sarracenia rubra: This species is sub-divided into five sub species;

Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra: This plant grows less than 30cm tall. It has small red flowers. The pitchers are very slender with thin red veins.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryi: Similar to the above, but more stocky and the front of the pitcher has a frontal spout. A giant form occurs around Chatom in Alabama where the pitchers exceed 40cm. The plant has red flowers but there are yellow and orange flowered forms.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis: This plant produces weak pitchers in the spring but much stronger pitchers in autumn. The plant grows only in Alabama where there are only eleven sites left.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii: As with ssp. alabamensis, this plant is also on the verge of extinction. This plant is recognisable from the others by having a distinct bulge below the pitcher rim.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis: This plant is taller and more robust than wherryi or rubra subspecies. The pitcher can take on a very bronzy hue when grown in strong light. There are a few all green anthocyanin free forms in cultivation.

Ecological status: All Sarracenia are considered to be threatened with one species (S. oreophila) and two sub-species of S. rubra (ssp. alabamensis and ssp. jonesii) listed as highly endangered. These three species are accorded special endangered status by both national (US) and international agreements. All international trade in Sarracenia is regulated by CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) and certain US states also regulate trade of habitat and artificially propagated specimens.

Generally these plants have become endangered through habitat loss. As land pressures increase along the highly populated coastal areas of the eastern United States land once occupied by these plants is being drained and developed. It would be nice to think that the land was at least being developed for the benefit of the general populace but sadly, convenience stores and golf courses are more common developments.

Sarracenia site losses are huge. It is estimated that since the 1930’s something like 95% of all sites no longer exist. It is a sad fact that the more plants are found in cultivation than in habitat. The one exception to all this is S. purpurea. The species occupies the relatively sparsely populated areas of Northern Canada where land pressures are far less than in the south. Here it is still possible to find bogs containing many thousands of plants though the same pressures are much more prevalent closer to the major population centres.

For more plant information check out Rick Walker's CP Database