Description
Sarracenia – Pitcher Plant –
There are 9-13 evergreen or deciduous insectivorous perennials, in the Sarraceniaceae family, in this genus. They are found naturally occurring in acidic, nutrient-deficient bogs or somewhat drier areas, from the Canadian Arctic to Florida, in North America. From short thick rhizomes, it produces sparse, wiry roots and rosettes of phyllodes, some or all of which are changed into nectar-secreting, insect-catching pitchers. The mostly vertical, sometimes horizontal, variously marked pitchers, 2-36″ long, have lateral wings and hooked lids that forms a sort of umbrella that shelters the stamens. In spring, solitary, nodding or pendent, more or less cup shaped flowers, are usually purple-red or greenish yellow or a bend of these colors, with 4 or 5 sepals and 5 petals, are borne above the pitchers. Grow outdoor, where temperatures don’t fall below 23 degree Fahrenheit, in a damp shaded peat bed or bog garden.
Grow in humus rich, wet, acidic soil in full sun. Water often. Divide in spring. Prone to scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, and tortix moth caterpillars.
S. flava – Yellow Pitcher Plant – Huntsman’s Horns – This very variable perennial found form Virginia to Alabama and Florida grows 20-48″ tall and 3′ feet wide. It bears erect, cylindrical yellow green pitchers, 12-48″ long, with rounded mouths and raised lids, often veined red. Phyllodes that do not produce pitchers are linear and persist throughout winter. In late spring to summer, bears strongly scented yellow or greenish yellow flowers, to 4″ across.
Zones 7-10
