Sarracenia leucophylla
white pitcher plant
Gulf coastal plain, southeastern United States
Overview
Sarracenia leucophylla is a carnivorous perennial that forms clumps of tall, erect, trumpet-shaped pitchers rising from a rhizome in wet, sunny bogs. The pitchers reach 20-40 inches (50-100 cm) tall, with the upper portion and the flaring lid patterned white and netted with green and red veins, above a slender green-to-reddish lower tube. Insects drawn to nectar and color fall into the tube, where downward hairs and a slippery surface trap them, and the plant absorbs nutrients from the digested prey. In early spring, before or with the new pitchers, single nodding red flowers about 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) across open on tall leafless stalks. Two flushes of pitchers form each year, in spring and again in autumn, the autumn pitchers often the whitest. Native to the Gulf coastal plain of the southeastern United States, it grows in sunny, nutrient-poor, constantly wet, acidic seepage bogs and savannas. It depends on open sun, low nutrients, and periodic fire, and it declines as bogs are drained or shaded. Wild populations have fallen, and the species is of conservation concern.
Native Range
Sarracenia leucophylla is native to the Gulf coastal plain of the southeastern United States, in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, southern Mississippi, and southwestern Georgia. It grows in wet pine savannas, seepage bogs, and the edges of cypress depressions on acidic, sandy, peaty soils.Suggested Uses
Grown in bog gardens, container bogs, and wet, sunny carnivorous-plant collections. Used in conservation plantings within its range to maintain bog habitat. Suited to permanently wet, acidic, sunny sites rather than ordinary borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1'8" - 3'4"
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years
Bloom Information
Single nodding red flowers about 2-2.5 inches (5-6 cm) across open on tall stalks in early spring, before or with the new pitchers. Each flower has a broad umbrella-like style and is pollinated mainly by bees. Spring pitchers follow the flowers, with a second flush of taller, whiter pitchers in autumn.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
white with green and red veinsGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Sarracenia leucophylla grows in full sun in constantly wet, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, typically a mix of peat and sand kept saturated. It cannot tolerate fertilizer, hard tap water, or drying out, and is kept wet with rainwater or distilled water. It is propagated by division of the rhizome in late winter or from seed after cold stratification. A cold winter dormancy is needed, during which the pitchers die back. In the wild it depends on periodic fire to keep bogs open and free of shading shrubs. It is hardy in USDA zones 6-9 in suitably wet, acidic conditions.Pruning
Dead pitchers can be trimmed off at the base in late winter before new growth begins. Removing browned pitchers and old flower stalks tidies the clump. Green pitchers are left in place, as they continue to feed the plant.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
winter
Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons