S. purpurea, the Purple Pitcher Plant

We have come to the second to last species of Sarracenia! This species hits particularly close to home for me, as it is the only pitcher plant I can find where I live. In fact, just 20 minutes away from my house is Webb’s Mill Bog, an isolated boardwalk through a bog in the middle of nowhere in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. This small state park is home to the purple pitcher plant, as well as some other carnivorous sundews (D. intermedia, D. rotundifolia, and D. filiformis).

Of all the species of Sarracenia, this species has by far the largest range. It is the only pitcher plant found in Canada, and the only one that can survive harsh winters. Clearly, the purple pitcher plant is very hardy, which makes it very easy to grow. This was actually the first pitcher plant I ever owned, and my S. purpurea collection has grown extensive since then.

The pitchers on this plant are short and fat low lying cups that can grow to a foot in length, but rarely get that large. The plant has a lid, like all pitcher plants, but the lid does not cover the pitcher opening. This lid, often frilly and veiny, is lined by particularly dense downward pointing hairs, and does not prevent rainwater from filling the pitcher tube. Often, these little ‘cups’ are completely filled by water. This plant looks nothing like any other species in this genus, so it will rarely be confused with other species. The plant produces a purple/red flower and often has purple pitchers (though colors can vary), hence the name “Purple” pitcher plant. The pitchers, although most frequently purple, can range from greens, oranges, and pinks. In fact, pitchers that are exposed to a lot of sun tend to become a deep purple, whereas shaded pitchers tend to stay green.

Interestingly, this plant produces digestive enzymes in large quantities only when the plant is young. As the plant matures, it relies less on these enzymes, and instead relies on commensal organisms, including bacteria and the pitcher mosquito (W. smithii) that lays its eggs in pitcher fluid. As the larvae hatch, they feed on decaying insects in the pitcher tubes.

The complications begin once the varieties of this species are discussed. Some argue that this species has a few subspecies, whereas others believe these subspecies are completely different species. For this blog, we are going to classify these ‘separate species’ as subspecies (ssp.). This may be confusing, so don’t worry too much about the Latin names, just appreciate the huge variety of this species. Actually, scratch that. The varieties/subspecies are so highly debated and aren’t agreed upon, so I cannot provide information on these. Instead, I will list one interpretation of the taxonomy of this species, and will provide their range as well as distinct features. The differences between these varieties are so minute that I won’t spend much time on the minutia. Instead, I will denote them by their most important characteristics.

Varieties… or… subspecies(?):

S. purpurea ssp. purpurea – this is the northern subspecies of this genus, found anywhere north of Maryland/Virginia and west into Canada. This  subspecies is exceptionally temperature resistant, and can survive temperatures far below freezing. In fact, my specimen of this subspecies froze completely solid, and survived without trouble.

S. purpurea ssp. venosa – nearly identical to the above subspecies, this plant is the southern subspecies, found on the east coast south of Maryland/Virginia. In the Chesapeake, where the purpurea and venosa ranges meet, it can be difficult to differentiate between the two subspecies. However, in general, this subspecies tends to be larger than the northern one. It is also less tolerable of extreme cold.

S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii – yes, I know. Quite the name. This species is found on the southern most range of the species, and is identified by its unique pink flower and pink ‘pot bellied’ (fat) pitcher. It is sometimes referred to as its own species: S. rosea.

S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. montana – found in the western Appalachian range in the mountains, this variety has a distinct ‘gnome hat’ shaped lid, where the ruffled edges meet at a single point.

As you can see, this is a very unique species of Sarracenia, and one of my favorites. It tends to form large, dense clumps of pitchers, and sometimes it can be hard to find the growth point with all the pitchers! As for my collection, I have three S. purpurea ssp. purpurea, one hybrid of purpurea and venosa, and two S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii. The first two images are of my huge S. purpurea ssp. venosa, which has over five growth points and has completely filled its pot. The third image is of my purpurea and venosa hybrid, which was lost in shipping for over a month and was cradled back into health by me this summer. Finally, the smaller S. purpurea ssp. purpurea is my first ever pitcher plant that I thought I killed, but it somehow survived. To conclude, I want to announce that I will be doing a blog on hybrids after my final blog on S. rubra. As a quick little sneak peak, I have many hybrids of S. purpurea, which are among my favorite because they feature the fat stature of this species, and thus have a lot of personality.

1. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8iJ3xIGa6WnlbU2MxyhT9Ub6c0vccD9JS6rez_ddJJ64c6nCewS-b0s2G85vVw5GGygZAVk=s85
2. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eMXrow6fANC7paxr3j5K86-vKBgbRvXX7tXuoXT2c2qOhEYcfb9taBOdblhbI8ZcFupE=s128
3. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IfhpEJx8eumRrFf4yONdqnKZjfTJDD5Lj6rsBvSA-GhT2CDC2URnnnnSqoUOvud8sXb2-A=s111
4. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yQXidaMqIMgnzZ95ZvmgXK4OOvA6TUQYbguYw1tQzXM9Er6mCFOBYK82-9chuSIUmKjeWg=s85
5. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DTD3DEF6U-Vx63iWljrXNQoRRYz3e7sjAIFkv_uitCElsIh6pGfdy_rx4y6Y-zbpjt9GN3o=s128
6. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NZ0X21fGG8kwP9OGz7zgRgRlmJJb02N26Krx58vyk2T4c4rwp2SaKT6olZQekNYZ9Rp3=s85
7. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G2DONEQAQ_j-2tnmQ8AbPMzNDPEyOVeSmaX4womjZNOnU4bKbsIMAWMHe4ivaEHMgt0b7Q=s128
8. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zQhMr9HKoPL7kpQALi3NcNn6WE9sROZczC3S-0st2DcbuvLwCPECH1h_eH-Gbi8HNqyEyy0=s85
9. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dNuxrAWw4t8Y2Ef9jN1bgmC3roNTGdD4SerE2FZl3XHubDaBU_sNoa3eCNHeqEcXg9nVIg=s85
10. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VgYF5o80EvwLc1S85kEcrUXBtvy5YCT93kg98BzNmtkIfaEBTTW9CHsOzsanCnGZo0GZ=s128