The purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) is a carnivorous forb native to bogs, fens, marshes, wetlands and some pineland forests of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Carnivorous plants are those that acquire nutrients through the consumption of insects, other invertebrates and even small vertebrates; this means of acquiring nutrients is related to the nutrient poor, acidic soils the species inhabits.

S. purpurea is unique in that its upright, vertical pitchers are open or lack a “lid”. The open nature of the species allows for collection of rainwater. This catchment of rainwater, and nectar that lines the rim of the pitcher attracts “prey”. Hairs on the inside of the pitcher that point toward the direction of the rainwater catchment aid in the “prey” becoming trapped within the pitcher; enzymes within the pool of water help in the digestion and absorption of nutrients of the insect, or other vertebrates and invertebrates.

S. purpurea flowering (left) and (right) the pitchers or leaves (Photo credit: Christine Danforth, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay).

Purple pitcher plants are a perennial species, in which the pitchers are modified leaves. The leaves maintain rosette growth formation. Leaves vary in color from a yellow-green to dark purple color, but usually coloration falls somewhere between that range with red venation. S. purpurea reproduces sexually via seed and vegetatively as fragmentation of the rhizome occurs. Flowers generally maintain a deep red coloration, are solitary, leafless and emerge from the rhizome (a scape). Fruit is a capsule with winged seeds.

Research within the USDA and USFS Fire Effects Information System, discusses that periodic, moderate fires aided in reducing competition, particularly in the South where the species have adapted to fire as management. S. purpurea is not federally recognized as a threatened or endangered species. However, it is understood that greater than 95% of pitcher plant habitat has been destroyed, converted or otherwise lost. Encouragingly, this remarkable species is currently in bloom! Consider visiting a local bog to ethically view Sarracenia purpurea inflorescences popping across the landscape!

If you see something blooming, leafing out, ripening, or otherwise changing in your woods, send us photos (forestsforthebay@gmail.com) to include in next month’s Forests for the Bay newsletter for more phenological fun!