Pitcher plants are very different from droseras and pinguiculas. Their traps don't move but are sophisticated. They look like cones and are less or more covered by a "hat". At the entrance there is some nectar and just under (inside) it's very smooth and after there are some hairs going down and them the "stomach" full of liquid with digestive enzymes. My kind of plants are different from each other because of the shape of their traps, more or less longer, larger, thicker, red or not, transparent, etc.. They grow slowly and need much sun to flower. Most of them can live outside without any difficulties even with frozen condition. Their particular shapes make them interesting. I have different kinds.
- Sarracenia flava (yellow trumpet) is a common one in the U.S.A. and perhaps the easiest sarracenia to find in shops.
- Sarracenia leucophylla (white trumpet or white-topped pitcher plant), is really thick and high, the top of its pitchers looks like lace especially with light from behind.
- Sarracenia minor (hooded pitcher plant) has a particular shape with very protected pitcher entrances.
- Sarracenia psittacina (parrot pitcher plant) is very different, it grows horizontally.
- Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa (purple pitcher plant) is the strongest one and the widest one (but not the highest) with its big pitchers.
- Sarracenia rubra (sweet trumpet), has an intermediate size and is different too because of the deep red (like Bordeaux wine) colour all over its pitchers.
- Sarracenia X catesbaei (S. flava X S. purpurea) which is very strong and easy to grow.
- Sarracenia X courtii (S. psittacina X S. purpurea) which looks like S. psittacina.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| < 0 / < 32 | 35 / 95 | ||||
It was really ill when I bought it. After two years and a change of peat it grows again. I think something polluted it before I bought it (perhaps only hard water). It is said to be an easy one and I take care of it in the same way as the others. Even after few changes of peat it was not yet good, perhaps it has accumulated toxic substances and it takes time too evacuate it. After it has grown back there are not much difficulties. during spring with lots of sun and water it grows quickly and always higher.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| 3 / 37 | 35 / 95 | ||||
Top of its leaves is wonderful, it's really like lace changing from white to red with green between. More often it's a white background grained by red. Height is to consider if, as me, you have not enough place for it. Mine has quickly reached over one-foot tall and is still growing. Because its pitchers are tight enough it can't catch big preys like wasps but more flies, gnats, ants and other insects like these. I didn't obtained flowers before two years of cultivation though I gave it a lot of sun. Flowers are not very nice but what interested me is to have seeds.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| 3 / 37 | 35 / 95 | ||||
Cultivation is near the same as other sarracenias except for some details. Rhizome appreciates to be underground instead of half-aerial as for other sarracenias. New leaves from one season to another always start from a new point of the rhizome not from base of old leaves. This could explain why it's so easy to produce new plants just by cutting top of the rhizome and let it covered by sphagnum. After few years of cultivation it appear to me that this one like to have more water than most of the other sarracenias.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| 3 / 37 | 35 / 95 | ||||
It's very easy to take care of it and doesn't need much space because it grows not vertically but horizontally. It takes nice red colours if sun exposure is well provided but I didn't obtain any flowers. After staying underwater during winter like it's the case of in natural condition, it became completely dry and grown again but it was not a good idea. It was smaller than the year before! I need more information about natural condition during winter like light, temperature, water quality and its variation... It doesn't bore if there is too much water but the end of the leaves dry a bit in summer because of heat and lack of air humidity. The shape of its trap is particular because of its horizontal position that makes it interesting.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| < 0 / < 32 | 35 / 95 | ||||
It's well convenient to French weather and grows easily. It catches big preys it draws with nectar and because it's a water point especially in summer. To Flower it needs a lot of sun from beginning of spring to end of August. The too flowers that have grown gave about ten seeds. Flower itself is not very nice but their shape is really a particular one that makes it interesting. All I have to borrow about is that it grows slowly especially if it have get some trouble before. When I bought mine it was weaken it took time to grow up again. If you take care of it no problems otherwise you'll have to be patient.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| < 0 / < 32 | 35 / 95 | ||||
It's an easy one because I get some flowers in one season with a young plant. I had seeds too without doing anything. As for many Sarracenias its flowers are not nice. To recognise it just have a look to the top of the pitcher (as for most of the Sarracenias), the small "hat" looks like spade. Colours are around green grained by red. With sun all the top of the leaf becomes red that explains its name. It seems to adapt easily to different cultivation condition and especialy warm conditon with mild winter.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| < 0 / < 32 | 35 / 95 | ||||
In fact I don't really know what kind is it. It's an hybrid, perhaps S.flava X S.purpurea. It's my first Sarracenia and the most developed know. It can bare easily cold of winter even with frozen. Of course it's not very pretty after a hard winter but it grows again strongly when spring comes and each time it's bigger than before (I give it a new pot if necessary). Flowering was not easy to obtain, it needed two seasons and much sun. I think this one too was polluted by mineral salts or something else and it took time to eliminate it. It was not feeling very well when I bought it (I could have worse said...). Its preys are big enough like flies and sometimes wasps that are not easy preys due to their strength. I reproduced it by separating a small shoot from the end of the rhizome of the main plant. This shoot grows slowly but well. It needs one year and a half to reach 4 inches height! Except that it's easy to take care of it.
| Temp. (°C / °F) | Light | Climate | Origin | Remarks | |
| min. | max. | Full sun | Temperate | USA (S.E.) | Short winter dormancy |
| 3 / 37 | 35 / 95 | ||||
It's S.psittacina X S.purpurea but when I bought it I believed it was S. psittacina. It was really sick, under strike by cochineal and other parasites. It took six months to make it grow normally! Shape of leaves is now normal but it's not yet very nice. Its shape is really the same as S. psittacina excepted the entrance of the traps which is opened as if it has been split. With sunlight it becomes entirely reddish.
Last modification on Saturday 08/02/2008
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