White-topped Pitcherplant, according to Wikipedia, is not a N.C. native, but an introduction, actually endemic to Deep South gulf coastal areas. It is a popular pitcherplant because of its lovely coloration — with white pigmentation, delicately cut by green or red veins, on the hood and the uppermost part of the otherwise green tube or trap. Relatively slender pitchers are produced in spring and (more vigorously) in fall, dying back in winter. The lid or hood is frilly and erect or ascending, but not reflexed; the lip of the pitcher is large and often spouted, the orifice quite open. The flowers produced in springtime are red to maroon (matching the venation on the hood), dangling like an upside down umbrella from a leafless stalk. Having evolved in low nutrient, mucky coastal bogs of the deep South, these plants digest the soft parts of insect bodies caught in the traps to meet their nitrogen and phosphorus requirements. If not grown in such a bog they can be grown in containers, using peat moss and sand or perlite as substrate and deionized water (wet but not standing water), to avoid salt buildup. Of course one must never fertilize pitcherplants! They are fun and not difficult to grow if their needs for full sun during the growing season and cold temperatures in winter are met. S. leucophylla is threatened in its native habitat by development.
