Sarracenia purpurea aka Common Pitcherplant

Sarracenia purpurea has two common names: common and purple pitcher plant. Its family is Sarraceniaceae, the pitcher plant family. It lives for years across Canada and the United States. Its range starts in subarctic America. It extends into the eastern and north-central states. It grows in bogs, peaty barrens, and wet woodland clearings. Loss of these sites and wild collecting threaten the plants. Buy plants grown in nurseries, not those taken from the wild.

This small plant forms clumps from shoots on thin rhizomes. These stems grow below ground. It has shallow, fibrous roots beneath a short crown. Garden plants reach about 1–1.6 feet [0.3–0.5 metres] tall. They can spread to about 2 feet [0.61 metres]. The short, broad green pitchers have purple-red veins and patches. Each has a broad lip and an upright, frilled lid. These leaves have changed shape to face up and catch rain. Nectar draws insects to the rim and the water below. Hairs point down and stop them from getting out. The insects drown. Enzymes then help break down their bodies.

Purple flowers grow on bare stems above the pitchers. Each stem holds one flower that hangs down. Each flower has five petals. Flowers reach about 0.16 feet [0.05 metres] across. RHS gives spring as the bloom season. Chicago lists May through August. The pitcher plant fly helps pollinate them by moving pollen. Its larvae live in the fluid inside the pitchers. They eat the trapped insects. The plant gives nectar to other insects too. It keeps its leaves through much of the year. Some turn brown while it rests in winter.

Grow it in full sun for strong leaf colour. Shade can weaken the pitchers and make their colour dull. It needs acid soil that stays moist to wet. A mix of sand and peat suits its needs. Never let the soil dry out. Keep the crowns above standing water. Give plants in pots rainwater or distilled water. Do not add fertiliser or food scraps, or hand-feed insects. A prepared bog garden or a pot gives better control. Growing it indoors is hard. It needs both sun and a winter rest.

Chicago lists USDA zones 3–7; RHS gives hardiness H6. Keep plants safe from winds that freeze. Aphids and scale insects may attack the plant. Mealybugs and moth larvae may attack it too. Leaf spot and root rot can also cause trouble. Remove dead leaves. Grow new plants from seed or by dividing clumps. PFAF reports no edible uses or known hazards. It lists past uses as medicine. These do not prove that such uses are safe or work.