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Sarracenia purpurea

purple pitcher plant

Sarraceniaceae eastern and central North America

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 3–8

Overview

Sarracenia purpurea, the purple pitcher plant, is a carnivorous perennial in the pitcher plant family and the most widespread of the North American pitcher plants. It forms a low rosette 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) across of squat, hooded pitchers that lie or curve upward and hold rainwater. The pitchers are green, veined and flushed with red to purple, and reach 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) long. Insects drawn to nectar and color slip on the waxy rim, fall into the water-filled trap, and are broken down by enzymes and resident microbes, supplying nitrogen that the boggy soil lacks. In late spring a single nodding flower 2 inches (5 cm) across opens on a stalk above the rosette, deep red to maroon with an umbrella-shaped style. The plant grows in sphagnum bogs, fens, and wet, acidic seeps across a wide range of eastern and central North America. It needs constant moisture, acidic low-nutrient soil, and full sun, and will not survive in ordinary garden beds or with fertilizer or hard water. Established clumps spread slowly by branching rhizomes.

Native Range

Native to eastern and central North America, ranging farther north than any other pitcher plant, from the Canadian subarctic and Labrador south through the Great Lakes and Appalachians to the Gulf Coast. It grows in sphagnum bogs, fens, and wet acidic seeps and shorelines.

Suggested Uses

Grown in bog gardens, container bogs, and around the edges of acidic ponds and water features. Suited to wet, sunny, low-nutrient sites where most border plants fail, and grown by collectors of carnivorous plants.

How to Identify

Recognized by squat, hooded, red-veined pitchers that hold rainwater and lie close to the ground in a rosette, unlike the tall upright trumpets of other Sarracenia spp.. A single deep-red, nodding flower with an umbrella-like style rises in late spring. The water-filled traps and bog habitat set it apart from non-carnivorous rosette plants.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6" - 2'

Width/Spread1' - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

red

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Spring Summer

A solitary red to maroon flower opens in April to June, depending on latitude, and lasts two to three weeks. The dried flower and its umbrella-shaped style persist on the stalk through the season. Seed capsules ripen by late summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

deep red to maroon

Foliage Description

green flushed with red to purple

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

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

Soil Requirements

pH Range3.0 - 5.0(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

peat sand

Drainagewet

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-5 years from seed

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun in permanently wet, acidic, low-nutrient soil such as a peat and sand mix or living sphagnum. It needs standing or seeping water through the growing season and rainwater or distilled water rather than mineral-rich tap water. Fertilizer and rich potting soil damage or kill the roots. Propagation is by seed after cold stratification or by dividing rhizomes in early spring. It needs a cold winter dormancy and tolerates freezing once established. Pitchers naturally fill with prey and debris, which is normal and does not need cleaning.

Pruning

Trim away dead or browned pitchers in late winter before new growth begins. The old flower stalk can be removed once seed is not wanted. Dividing congested clumps every few years keeps them growing strongly.