Sarracenia rubra

Common Names

Sweet Pitcher Plant, Red Pitcher Plant, Sweet Trumpet, Pitcher Plant

Summary

Sarracenia rubra is a southeastern U.S. carnivorous perennial that forms dense clumps via rhizomes, with erect pitchers green to coppery often veined in red, a hood twice as long as wide perched above the opening, and small red, fragrant flowers on tall stalks in spring; native range includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina (zone 6–8). Care requires bright full sun and consistently moist, acidic, humus-rich muck in a bog garden or container, using peat-based substrate and rainwater or distilled water, with fertilizers avoided; propagation is easiest by rhizome division, though seed propagation is possible and flowering from seed may take 4–5 years; the plant is well suited to bog gardens, ponds and streams, rain gardens, and neutral to acidic water gardens, and hardy in zones 6–8.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

12-18 inches

Spread

12-18 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6a-8b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun, tolerates partial sun.

Soil Type

Acidic, peat-based bog soil.

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained soil.

Soil pH

4.5-6.0

Bloom Color

Red to burgundy

Bloom Time

Spring (April–May)

Foliage Color

Green with copper to red veining

Fall Foliage Color

Red

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow growth; 2–5 years to reach its ultimate height, 3–6 years to reach maturity

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Rhizome cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and other pollinators