Sarracenia purpurea

Sarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the Purple pitcher plant or Side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae. Its range includes almost the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, the Great Lakes, and south eastern Canada, making it the most common and broadly distributed pitcher plant, as well as the only member of the genus that inhabits cold temperate climates.

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The species is the floral emblem of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Like other species of Sarracenia, S. purpurea obtains most of its nutrients through prey capture.^[1] However, prey acquisition is said to be inefficient, with less than 1% of the visiting prey captured within the pitcher.^[2] Even so, anecdotal evidence by growers often shows that pitchers quickly fill up with prey during the warm summer months. Prey fall into the pitcher and drown in the rainwater that collects in the base of each leaf. Prey items such as flies, ants, spiders, and even moths, are then digested by an invertebrate community (made up mostly by the mosquito Wyeomyia smithii and the midge Metriocnemus knabii), protists, and rotifers, which form the base of a food web that shreds and mineralizes available prey, making nutrients available to the plant.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species is further divided into two subspecies, S. purpurea subsp. purpurea and S. purpurea subsp. venosa. The former is found from New Jersey north and requires a winter dormancy, while the latter is found from New Jersey south and tolerates warmer temperatures.

In 1999, Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii was described as a species of its own: Sarracenia rosea. This re-ranking has been widely disclaimed since then. The following species and infraspecific taxa are usually recognized:

• Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea
  • Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea f. heterophylla
  • Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea f. ruplicola
• Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa
  • Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii
    • Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola^[4]
  • Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana

References

• The Carnivorous Plant FAQ