Sarracenia purpurea Linnaeus var. venosa (Rafinesque) Fernald. Common name: Southern Purple Pitcherplant, Frog's Britches. Phenology: Apr-May; Jun-Jul. Habitat: Wet pine savannas, sandhill seepage bogs, hillside seepage bogs. Distribution: Var. venosa is restricted to the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the se. United States, ranging from se. VA south to se. SC and e. GA; perhaps disjunct in e. LA. See MacRoberts & MacRoberts (2004) for a detailed discussion about old LA collections of S. purpurea or S. rosea.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments: For those tolerant of quadrinomial taxonomy, plants in our area may be considered S. purpurea ssp. venosa (Rafinesque) Fernald var. venosa. It is notable, though, that the findings of Godt & Hamrick (1999) and Ellison et al. (2004) do not support the greater relationship of the southern taxa to one another and their divergence from the northern taxon, and thus do not support the quadrinomial taxonomy.
Synonymy ⓘ: = C, F, G, Wood (1960); = Sarracenia purpurea L. ssp. purpurea var. purpurea; = Sarracenia purpurea L. ssp. venosa (Raf.) Wherry — FNA8; = Sarracenia purpurea L. ssp. venosa (Raf.) Wherry var. venosa — K4, McPherson & Schnell (2011), Schnell & Determann (1997), Schnell (2002b); = Sarracenia purpurea L. var. purpurea — Reveal (1993b); < Sarracenia purpurea L. — GW2, RAB, S, S13, Va, W, Bell (1949), McDaniel (1971)
Links to other floras: = Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa - FNA8
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
- Great Plains: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
- Midwest: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
- Northcentral & Northeast: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
Heliophily ⓘ: 9
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Horticultural Information
Intro: Carnivorous perennial of wet pine savannas, sandhill seepage bogs and hillside seepage bogs.
Stems: Stems underground, sending up several pitchers and a single flower stalk per plant.
Leaves: Leaves are erect to leaning or reclining, green pitchers (tubes that trap insects), to 8 in. long, often tinged or veined with red or purple and inflated; the erect, flaring hood is kidney-shaped with a scalloped edge.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers are solitary and nodding from a single, erect scape, 8-15 in. tall and above the pitchers; maroon to red (rarely pink); consisting of 5 drooping oval petals (1-2 in. long), 5 spreading roundish sepals (reddish-purple) and an umbrella-like structure in the center.
Fruits:
Comments:
Height: to 14 in.
plant sale text: The Purple Pitcher-plant produces green to red pitchers with dark purplish veins through the growing season. Its modified leaves lie flat on the ground, with their open ends facing upwards. Pitcher-plants are best grown in peat moss in containers, duplicating their natural habitat. They need at least six hours of sun each day.
bloom table text:
description: Carnivorous perennial of wet pine savannas, sandhill seepage bogs and hillside seepage bogs.
stems: Stems underground, sending up several pitchers and a single flower stalk per plant.
leaves: Leaves are erect to leaning or reclining, green pitchers (tubes that trap insects), to 8 in. long, often tinged or veined with red or purple and inflated; the erect, flaring hood is kidney-shaped with a scalloped edge.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers are solitary and nodding from a single, erect scape, 8-15 in. tall and above the pitchers; maroon to red (rarely pink); consisting of 5 drooping oval petals (1-2 in. long), 5 spreading roundish sepals (reddish-purple) and an umbrella-like structure in the center.
fruits:
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: VA, NC & SC