Sarracenia purpurea

Common Names

Purple Pitcher Plant, Northern Pitcher Plant, Side-Saddle Flower, Frog's Britches, Huntsman's Cup, Fly Trap, Turtle Socks, Sarracénie Pourpré

Summary

Native to eastern North America and much of Canada, Sarracenia purpurea is an evergreen carnivorous perennial whose leaves form upright pitchers in a rosette, pitchers vary from green with red or purple veins to largely purplish red, stand about 5–25(–45) cm tall with wings 1–3(–4) cm wide and an orifice 1.4–3.6 cm across, and carry a hood that often holds rainwater, nectar on the cap lures prey while a downward hair labyrinth and an internal microbial community digest captured insects, flowers rise on 30–80 cm scapes and are purplish red, pollinated by bumblebees, two subspecies—subsp. purpurea (glabrous or nearly glabrous pitchers) and subsp. venosa (pubescent pitchers)—reflect geographic variation, in its native range, it occupies bogs and very wet, acidic soils across eastern North America and has rapidly colonized peat bogs since the last glaciation, it is widely cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes and is regulated under CITES Appendix II, cultivation requires very wet, boggy, lime-free soil, typically a peat or sphagnum moss mix or pots standing in a water-filled tray to keep roots moist, soil should be acidic (pH about 3.0–5.0), and water should be rain, distilled, or RO rather than tap, maintain humidity around 50–90% and provide full sun to partial shade, fertilization is not required since nutrients come from captured prey, propagation is by seed or division, and winter dormancy of several months may be needed in cooler areas, hardiness generally spans USDA zones 3–9, in addition to ornamental use in bog gardens, containers, and greenhouses, the species has historical medicinal uses among Native Americans and is listed under CITES Appendix II

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

6-31 inches

Spread

12-16 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun, tolerates Partial Sun or Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Moist, acidic, nutrient-poor peat soil

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained

Soil pH

4.0-5.0

Bloom Color

Purple to pink to red

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

Green, often with red or purple veins.

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Rapid

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees