Sarracenia flava
Sarracenia jonesii
dumbwatches, fly-catchers, fly-traps, trumpets, yellow pitcher plant, yellow trumpet
mountain sweet pitcher plant
marcescent, appearing after the first flowers, producing 1 flush of pitchers in spring through early summer, erect, yellowish green throughout, often with dark red blotches on neck, dark red veins on distal portions of tube and hood, or whole tube heavily suffused bronze or purplish red, without white areolae, 25–90(–100) cm, thick, firm, surfaces glabrous, wings 0.5–1(–2) cm wide;
orifice broadly ovate, 2–7(–8) cm diam., rim green, flaring and loosely revolute, often with prominent, everted indentation immediately distal to wing forming spout over wing;
hood recurved adaxially, held well beyond and covering orifice, yellow-green, red-veined or suffused with bronze-red, without white areolae, orbiculate-reniform, not undulate, 3–10 × (3–)5–14 cm, ± as long as wide, proximal margins broadly cordate, opposite lobes reflexed abaxially, touching or nearly touching, neck (often red-blotched or red-veined), constricted, 1–3 cm, margins revolute, apiculum (2–)3–12(–18) mm, adaxial surface glabrous.
persistent, appearing with flowers, producing similar pitchers through summer, erect, (long-petiolate, basal 1/4–1/3 of tube solid, without open cavity, tapering distally to form hollow tube and distinctly bulging abaxially mostly in distal 1/4 of tube), green, usually reddish or purple-veined adaxially, rarely with an overall deep maroon-purple suffusion, without white areolae, 21–73 cm, firm, waxy, external surface glabrous, wings 0.2–1(–1.5) cm wide;
orifice oval, 1–4 cm diam., rim maroon, tightly revolute, usually with slight to distinct indentation distal to wing often forming conspicuous spout extending over wing;
hood recurved adaxially, held well beyond and covering orifice, red-purple, veins on adaxial and abaxial surfaces distinctive, red-purple throughout, without white areolae, broadly ovate, undulate, 2.4–6.5 × 2.4–5.4 cm, longer than wide, base cordate, neck not constricted, 0.5–1 cm, apiculum 1–4 mm, adaxial surface glabrate or with hairs to 0.5 mm.
2–4(–5), erect, oblanciform, (8–)12–30 × 1–3 cm.
absent.
15–60 cm, shorter than pitchers;
bracts 1–2 cm.
1–2, 32–70 cm, rarely exceeding tallest pitchers;
bracts 1–2 cm.
strongly ill-scented;
sepals yellowish green, 3–5 × 2–3.5 cm;
petals yellow, distal portion ovate to narrowly elliptic, 5–8.5 × 3–4 cm, margins entire;
style disc yellow-green, 6–8 cm diam.
moderately fragrant;
sepals maroon, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2 cm;
petals maroon, distal portion obovate, 2.5–4 × 1.2–2.8 cm, margins erose;
style disc green, 2.5–4 cm diam.
1.4–2 cm diam.
0.6–1.2 cm diam.
1.8–2.5 mm.
1.2–1.5 mm.
= 26.
= 26.
Sarracenia flava
Sarracenia jonesii
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.)
Of conservation concern.
Sarracenia jonesii occurs in seepage bogs in the low mountains in southwestern North Carolina (Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties) and in seeps along gentle waterfalls on the adjacent South Carolina Blue Ridge escarpment (Greenville and Pickens counties). Within its native range, populations have been introduced and naturalized. It can form clumps to 0.5 m across in meadowlike seepage bogs. It is rare and vulnerable. Most of its prime locations have disappeared since 1950 due to development. It is federally listed as endangered and worthy of managed protection. Anthocyanin-free plants, with yellowish-green flowers and pitchers, are known in the wild. Plants from some locations can be vegetatively similar to other members of the S. rubra complex from the fall line of South Carolina or the Gulf Coast, or even some plants of S. alata hybrids west of Mobile Bay, Alabama, with bulges in the distal portions of their tubes. Always check the largest, well-grown pitchers for traits, and correlate with floral characters. Sarracenia jonesii is readily distinguished from S. rubra by its longer, solid petioles and scapes about as long as the pitchers.
Sarracenia jonesii is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
