Sarracenia flava

Common Names

Yellow Pitcherplant, Yellow Pitcher Plant, Trumpets, Yellow Trumpet, Huntsman's Horn

Summary

Sarracenia flava is a carnivorous perennial in the Sarraceniaceae native to the southeastern United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, and it forms dense clumps of tall upright yellow-green pitchers with erect lids, typically 25 to 90 cm tall, sometimes over a meter, often with red venation in some forms; bright yellow flowers with five petals bloom in spring on tall stalks and carry a strong musty fragrance, and the season also features non-carnivorous phyllodia later in the year; the plant grows in bogs, savannas, and seep slopes and requires consistently moist, acidic soils, with fire beneficial to its habitat. For cultivation, provide full sun and consistently moist, acidic soil, best in bog garden conditions or in containers, water with lime-free water and avoid fertilization. Propagation is mainly by rhizome division, though seeds can be cultivated; a winter dormancy of about three months is typical, and hardiness corresponds to USDA zones 8A to 9A. Outdoors in bog gardens is preferred, though containers can work with careful moisture management; prune dead or dying pitchers in late winter or early spring, and avoid fertilizer and salt exposure as the plant tolerates neither inundation nor salty spray.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1.5-3 feet

Spread

1.5-3 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun.

Soil Type

Peat-based, acidic, nutrient-poor soil kept consistently moist with good drainage

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained

Soil pH

4.5-6.0

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Yellow (foliage typically yellow, ranging from solid yellow to yellow-green with red venation).

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Very slow growth, especially during the first years, with initial production of a few pitchers and limited subsequent growth, 5–10 years

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts pollinating insects (likely small bees)