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Sarracenia rubra
Sweet Pitcherplant

Photo by Cure Nursery

Although the Sweet Pitcherplant has a fragrant, maroon-colored flower at the top of a leafless stem, usually taller than the pitchers (about 10 inches), it is not the flower that fascinates people. The hollow pitchers of this insectivorous perennial plant are leaves modified to passively capture small animal creatures. Insects attracted to the colorful leaves cannot crawl out of the pitcher because of downward pointing hairs within, and they eventually fall into the water and are digested by plant enzymes. Nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, are absorbed. These plants are water-lovers and if not grown in a pond can easily be grown in distilled or deionized water in full sun in a container (no fertilizer!). Sweet Pitcherplant has a tendency to lay its leaves along the ground, even in full sun.

Last Updated: June 5, 2019

Key Info

Scientific Name: Sarracenia rubra Walter
Common Names: Sweet Pitcherplant
Family Name: Sarraceniaceae
Plant Type: Bog Plants, Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Bog garden, Container
Light Requirement: Full sun
Moisture Requirement: Wet, Moist well drained
Bloom Times: Apr, May
Flower Color: Maroon outer, greenish inner
Special Characteristics: Rhizomatous, Flowers fragrant, Cold tolerant, Carnivorous

Additional Info

Habit: Sarracenias are clump-forming herbaceous perennials that grow as rosettes from a branching rhizome, forming colonies and containing fibrous roots 8-12 inches long along its length. The pitchers are modified leaves that (in addition to their function of photosynthesis) attract and entrap their insect prey by means of colorful presentation and nectar production (like flowers) and modifications to prevent escape. Wikipedia has a concise treatment of Sarracenia's entrapment mechanisms.
Height: 2'-3'
Spread: 1'-2'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Soil Conditions: wet
Leaves: S. rubra's pitchers are upright, slender, about 20 inches tall, with a pointed, semi-erect hood not reflexed, and a more or less open orifice.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): Petals are red/maroon on the outside and greenish within, descending from the inverted, umbrella like flower.
Fruit: Each flower is followed by a dry 5-parted seed capsule that splits open along 5 seams at maturity (June/July) exposing small, papery, pear-shaped seeds. The seeds fall near the parent plant.
Natural Distribution: Infrequent in shrub bogs and savannas in coastal plain; rare along streams in mountains.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
Pollination: Bees, and other insects.
Wildlife Connections: Obtains nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) from insects. Insects and other tiny creatures are attracted by the nectar and coloration of the traps. The main prey of Sarracenias are ants, flies, wasps, bees, beetles, slugs and snails.
Cultural Notes: S. rubra can tolerate cold winters but when temperatures fall below 20F leaves are vunerable and shold be coverd in plastic to prevent frost burn. Protect from strong freezing winds; do not apply fertilizer; trim only dead leaves of last season.
Propagation: Sarracenias can be propagated from seed or, more frequently, by division.
Other Notes: Can tolerate cold winters but when temps fall below 20F leaves are vunerable and should be coverd in plastic to prevent frost burn.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov

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Cure Nursery is a small nursery propagating and selling native plants for the Southeastern U.S. We are located near the town of Pittsboro, Chatham County, in central NC.

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