Sarracenia purpurea L.
Detail
- Family
- Sarraceniaceae
- Botanical Name
- Sarracenia purpurea L.
- Common Name
- Purple Pitcher Plant
- Synonym(s)
- Sarracenia purpurea L. var. venosa (Raf.) Fernald
- Flora of Virginia Name/Status
- Sarracenia purpurea L.
- Comments
- The recognition of infraspecific taxa, as well as their reported geographic ranges, has been a subject of disagreement among taxonomists. Flora of the Southeastern U.S. reports two vars. in our area: the northern var. purpurea, extending s. to ne. Virginia, and var. venosa (Raf.) Fern., extending n. to se. Virginia. Assignment of Virginia material to these entities has been problematic and confounded by the apparent introduction at some sites of plants collected elsewhere. Most, if not all of our plants appear to be var. venosa, but more study is needed to determine if var. purpurea occurs in Caroline and Essex counties. However, until greater clarity is achieved, we have chosen not to recognize these taxa formally.
- Habitat
- Thinly canopied acidic seepage swamps, streamhead pocosins, boggy depressions in pine flatwoods, sphagnous power-line seeps and other boggy clearings; also persisting vegetatively in forested seeps that were once more open. Rare in the Coastal Plain. Introduced at some sites within the natural range, as well as a few sites outside it, e.g., at Spring Pond in Augusta County.
- Native Status
- Native
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