Rank Species | Higher classification Sarracenia | |
 | ||
Similar Sarracenia, Sarracenia flava, Sarracenia alata, Sarracenia purpurea, Sarracenia oreophila | ||
Sarracenia leucophylla pitcher plant blooming in time lapse
Sarracenia leucophylla, also known as the crimson pitcherplant, purple trumpet-leaf or white pitcher plant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia.
Contents
- Sarracenia leucophylla pitcher plant blooming in time lapse
- Sarracenia leucophylla captures fly
- Distribution
- Description
- Conservation
- Cultivation
- References
Sarracenia leucophylla captures fly
Distribution
Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to North America. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States.
It inhabits moist and low-nutrient longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas, primarily along the United States Gulf Coast, and generally west of the Apalachicola River on the Florida Panhandle. It is also found in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina.
In North Carolina it has apparently been introduced by humans to areas outside its native range.
Description
Sarracenia leucophylla has nodding, brownish-red flowers and clusters of erect, hollow, pitcher-like leaves. Each leaf is colored at top with reddish-purple veins on a white background and topped by an erect, roundish, wavy-edged hood.
It is highly variable with respect to its height, with plants in some localities reaching almost 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, while in others, plants can be diminutive. A seldom seen 30 centimetres (12 in) tall dwarf form is endemic to Garcon Point in Santa Rosa County, Florida.
The flowers are a slender, erect trumpet, 10–50 centimetres (3.9–19.7 in) tall and green veined with red. The flowers are very fragrant, with the odor similar to English Violets (Viola odorata). The plant produces characteristically small spring pitchers. These are generally followed midsummer with flat non-carnivorous leaves known as phyllodia. Its most robust and handsome pitchers are then produced in the early autumn.
Conservation
The plant is a listed vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The greatest threat to S. leucophylla, as is the case with most Sarracenia species, is loss of its unique wetland habitat to development along the Gulf Coast, as well as forest succession that was historically kept in check by natural wildfires.
It is also endangered from being one of the largest and showiest Sarracenia species, and is vulnerable to poachers of living plants and to the cut-floral trade for use in flower arrangements.
Cultivation
Sarracenia leucophylla is cultivated as an ornamental plant. Despite its native range in the Southeastern U.S., it is remarkably hardy and can be grown outside even in USDA zones 6 and colder with careful winter protection. In cultivation it is generally less tolerant of stagnant water conditions and requires adequate soil drainage while still retaining requisite moisture levels to prevent root rot.
Several clones are recognized: