Yellow Pitcherplant is an herbaceous perennial up to 3′ tall found in sandy bogs in the coastal plain regions of Virginia and south to Florida and west to Alabama. Like all pitcherplants, S. flava thrives in full sun. The long throat or tube is quite slender, and the hood is reflexed, the orifice quite open, its lip often spouted. There are several variants in terms of the colors displayed, which fade somewhat if grown in shadier spots. Early spring S. flava blooms are yellow and have strong, musty odor. Ideally, Yellow Pitcherplant should be sited in an established bog. However, it can easily be grown in a container in peat moss and sand or perlite, and watered with deionized water (to control salt accumulation), as long as it is allowed to undergo cold during its winter dormancy and is not permitted to dry out. Insects and spiders are attracted to the pitchers, which are colorful and fragrant and modified to then entrap the small creatures. The soft parts are digested enzymatically within the traps, supplying the plant with locally scarce nitrogen and phosphorus. Pitcher plants should never be fertilized!
