Flora of North America species comparison

Sarracenia flava ranges from the southeastern coastal plain of Virginia and isolated piedmont localities in North Carolina through the coastal plain of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the western Florida panhandle mostly near and west of the Ochlockonee River and west just into southeastern Alabama, with isolated sites in northeastern Florida. It is naturalized in Skagit County, Washington.

Sarracenia flava is a striking plant, often forming large stands, at least historically. It is much less common with the advent of drainage and changing land use. It has one main flush of pitchers in spring to early summer. It is quite variable over its range with regard to vein patterns and markings on the pitchers, and at least seven varieties have been formally named (see D. E. Schnell 2002).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species 11 (11 in the flora).

Sarracenia species are among the most beautiful and intriguing plants in the world; we know very little of their phylogenetic origins and affinities. They have been important ornamental plants since the early nineteenth century. Artificial hybrids were made in England in the late nineteenth century (J. H. Veitch 1906). Today, all species and some natural and man-made hybrids are widely grown by hobbyists and botanical gardens around the world.

In Sarracenia, recognition of some species is often based less on flower traits than on subtle characteristics of the pitcher leaves. Species determinations must be done using the largest, most mature pitchers from healthy plants growing in moist soil and full sun. Pitchers from heavily shaded or dry sites may be smaller, flat like phyllodial leaves, or weak and decumbent. The keys here are based on typical pitcher traits. It is best to examine multiple leaves from multiple plants in a population and to note presence or absence of phyllodia. In addition, distinctly different types and sizes of leaves may be produced throughout the growing season, and these are noted in the species descriptions.

The pitchers of Sarracenia may be produced before, during, or after the emergence of the flowers; pitcher phenology can be useful for species identification. Flower buds are initiated during late summer, remaining dormant until the following spring. Sometimes, these flowers may bloom out of season in late summer or fall. The pitchers of certain species are marcescent, withering in the winter but not abscising. Other species have persistent pitchers.

Sarracenia species hybridize readily. The hybrids are fertile and may backcross and interbreed to form hybrid swarms. The swarms are legendary along the Gulf Coast (and may have increased due to habitat disturbance), leading to great confusion in species identification. At the end of this treatment, we have enumerated the known naturally occurring F1 hybrids.

Nearly every species of Sarracenia has been found in the wild in an anthocyanin-free form, lacking the normal red coloration in the flowers or pitchers. One of these all-yellow variants from the Northeast is well known and has been named S. purpurea forma heterophylla (Eaton)Fernald, the epithet referring to sun and shade pitchers of different morphologies on the type specimen. Most other color variants have not been named. Amateur collectors frequently refer to yellow variants of any taxon as the “heterophylla form.” These plants are very rare and virtually unrepresented in herbaria.

Sarracenia habitats in the Southeast are maintained by fire. This is especially true in the pine flatwoods and savannas. Without frequent fires, these open, sunny, acidic, low-nutrient habitats quickly become dense thickets of woody or grassy vegetation. The pitcher plants will invariably be shaded, and appear weakened and atypical. Most of them will survive to some degree and will be rejuvenated after a fire.

We realize that some of our decisions to recognize taxa below the rank of species are controversial. Our treatment reflects our thoughts after decades of study and observation in the wild and the common garden. Most of the difficult-to-distinguish taxa have allopatric distributions, separating them from their similar relatives—a first step in making it possible to recognize them as separate entities. Knowledge of the exact geographic origin of specimens in question will be useful, especially with members of the Sarracenia purpurea and S. rubra complexes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)