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Pitcher Plants—Beguiling New Sarracenia Hybrids
Plants & Gardens News Volume 13, Number 4 | Winter 1998
by Rob Gardner
Few things in nature capture the imagination like carnivorous plants—their ethereal beauty belies their predatory and amazingly ingenious flesh-eating habits. Unfortunately these unique qualities have made carnivorous plants prized items, putting tremendous pressure on native populations. Until a few years ago, for example, virtually every pitcher plant on the market was taken from the wild. Many pitcher plant populations have been seriously depleted or even completely destroyed by collectors who illegally plunder thousands of pitcher plants from both public and private lands.
Illustration by Stephen K-M. Tim
Preservation of these imperiled plants is the major reason I joined forces 10 years ago with Dr. Larry Mellichamp, Director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens, in a cooperative breeding project to develop a series of colorful, vigorous, and unique hybrid pitcher plants. Our mission: to create horticulturally superior pitcher plants, thus diverting some of the demand for the wild variety.
Weird and Wonderful
As you probably already know, a hybrid results from cross-pollination between different species—the pollen (male) of one species is used to fertilize the ovules (female) of another species. The resulting plants, pitcher or otherwise, will have characteristics representing both of the original parents. For example, if yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava), whose leaves are tall and chartreuse, is crossed with the diminutive purple pitcher plant (S. purpurea), whose leaves are prostrate and purple, the resulting hybrid will often show both purple and chartreuse markings, and will have a chunky, but mostly upright leaf that's half as tall as that of yellow pitcher plant and twice as tall as that of the purple pitcher plant. To make things even more interesting, the hybrids themselves are fertile and can be crossed with other species or different hybrid pitcher plants to create an amazing number of weird and wonderful offspring that look like nothing ever produced by Mother Nature!
After several seasons of experimenting, Larry and I knew what we wanted to achieve with our breeding program—vigorous, colorful plants that are not too large, retain their foliage in the winter, and produce two flushes of growth each summer. Every plant selected for further evaluation was chosen from thousands of candidates.
And the Winners Are ...
Two of the best hybrids are now available for sale: Sarracenia 'Ladies in Waiting' and 'Dixie Lace'.
'Ladies in Waiting' is a complex hybrid involving several species of pitcher plants including the sweet pitcher plant, Sarracenia rubra, and the hooded pitcher plant, S. minor. It is a vigorous, upright grower with mature leaves 12-16 inches tall. The upper portion of each pitcher is a deep maroon with distinct white spots. A delicate pattern of maroon netting extends farther down the leaf and washes into a bright green. 'Ladies in Waiting' has an upright hood with intricately fluted edges reminiscent of a scallop shell. The inside surface of the hood is lettuce-green with white speckling and an overlay of maroon marbling. When backlit, the upper portion of each leaf is a dramatic stained glass window.
One of the desirable qualities of this hybrid is its great vigor and substance. A good flush of growth is produced in the spring, and sturdy new foliage continues growing, especially in the late summer and early fall.
'Dixie Lace' is another strong contender introduced last year. It, too, is the result of crossing several pitcher plant series, including the white-topped pitcher plant (Sarracenia leucophylla) and the purple pitcher plant (S. purpurea), among others. The result is a compact plant, 8-10 inches tall, with maroon-red pitchers etched in a mosaic of intricate dark red veins on a mottled background of creamy yellow. A distinctive hood with an undulating margin hangs gracefully above the mouth of the pitcher. The striking pitchers are produced continuously during the summer, and are especially showy from August through October. In the winter months, 'Dixie Lace' persists, unlike many other pitcher plants whose leaves die back. In the spring, rich maroon-red flowers of an outrageous upside-down design rise on solitary stems 12-15 inches tall.
Like all pitcher plants, sarracenias lure their prey with a nectar secreted by their leaves. The hapless insect soon finds itself slipping down a waxy tubular slope from which there is no return, thanks to stiff, downward-pointing hairs that line the ever-narrowing tunnel, serving as a trap. Using this clever concert of techniques, the pitcher plant supplements its diet with a variety of invertebrates, including flies, bees, beetles, and ants.
Growing Pitcher Plants
Pitcher plants are not difficult to grow, although they do require specific conditions. All are sun worshippers that love an acidic soil and plenty of water.
Contrary to popular opinion, pitcher plants are not houseplants. They are hardy native perennials that have adapted to a temperate climate with distinct active and dormant phases synchronized with changing seasons. Although you can grow them indoors under artificial light or in a very bright, sunny window, pitcher plants are much happier outdoors.
Although the majority of pitcher plants are from the southeastern United States, they are winter hardy much farther north than their native range indicates—we have reliable reports of them in Zone 5! It is usually sufficient to winterize potted pitchers by burying them to the rim in a sunny garden spot. They can be dug up in the spring and placed in a warm, sunny site. Pitcher plants require at least six hours daily of direct sunlight during the growing season to form the tubular leaves and distinctive coloration that are their trademark—less light will produce floppy, flat leaves. The sunlight rule applies even in winter for the evergreen variety.
All pitcher plants require an acidic growing medium. It is important to make a simulation of their native soils—a mix of one-half peat moss and one-half coarse sand will do the trick. Water the mixture for several days before planting, giving the peat moss a chance to absorb the moisture. The mix should be damp, but not soggy. Squeeze a fistful tightly—if water drips out, it is too wet.
Once planted, your pitcher plant needs plenty of water. Never allow it to dry out, summer or winter. If your tap water is too high in minerals, use distilled or rain water.
A good way to provide these conditions for your pitcher plants is to grow them in plastic containers, anything from an ordinary nursery pot to a kiddy wading pool. A container can be placed in a shallow tray filled with water so your plant won't dry out, and is easily moved from site to site for best light.
With the proper care, sarracenias will give you years of pleasure. But before you add pitcher plants to your collection, do some homework on suppliers. Although sarracenias are still being wild-collected, there is a growing cadre of environmentally conscious nurseries that offer ethically propagated plants. Ask before you purchase. With the wonderful assortment of new and exciting pitcher plant hybrids, there is no excuse to decimate wild populations.
Rob Gardner is Curator of The North Carolina Botanical Garden, specializing in the display, promotion, and conservation of plants native to the southeastern United States. he has been growing pitcher plants for the last 24 years.