Sarracenia purpurea – Green & Red Form

Sarracenia purpurea – Green & Red Form

A beautifully patterned form of the Purple Pitcher Plant, producing broad green pitchers highlighted with intricate red veining and warm bronze-red colouration.

Sarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the Purple Pitcher Plant, is one of North America's most distinctive carnivorous plants. Rather than producing the very tall upright traps associated with many other Sarracenia, it develops a spreading rosette of broad, substantial pitchers.

This attractive form displays a wonderful combination of fresh green and yellow-green pitchers overlaid with prominent red and burgundy veining. Mature traps can develop increasingly warm shades of bronze, orange and red, particularly when grown in strong sunlight.

The broad upright hoods are especially attractive, with their network of contrasting veins creating a striking stained-glass-like pattern.

Unlike many other pitcher plants, the open pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea naturally collect rainwater. Insects attracted to the pitcher can fall into the water-filled trap, where they are gradually broken down and provide nutrients for the plant.

Growing Information

Light: Full sun. Strong direct sunlight encourages compact growth, strong pitchers and the best red and bronze colouration.

Water: Keep permanently moist during active growth. Stand the pot in approximately 1–3cm of rainwater, distilled water or reverse-osmosis water. Avoid hard tap water.

Compost: Grow in nutrient-poor carnivorous plant compost. Do not use ordinary multipurpose compost or conventional fertilisers.

Dormancy: Sarracenia purpurea is a temperate carnivorous plant and requires a natural winter dormancy. Growth slows during winter before fresh pitchers emerge as temperatures increase in spring.

Hardiness: Sarracenia purpurea is among the hardier North American pitcher plants and is particularly well suited to unheated greenhouse cultivation and outdoor carnivorous bog gardens in the UK.

Plant Supplied

You will receive an established plant of the type shown, with at least 3 pitchers. Individual plants naturally vary in size, number of pitchers and colouration according to age, season and growing conditions. Larger plants available on request.

The balance between green, yellow, bronze and red can also change throughout the growing season. Strong sunlight generally produces increasingly prominent red venation and colouration.

Established plants can eventually form substantial multi-growth-point clumps containing numerous pitchers, making this an excellent plant for both beginners and established carnivorous plant collections.

Please note: This plant is identified as Sarracenia purpurea from its visible characteristics. Without original provenance, no particular subspecies, locality or named cultivar is being claimed.

Botanical name: Sarracenia purpurea
Common name: Purple Pitcher Plant
Form: Green & Red / Red-Veined Form
Plant type: Temperate carnivorous perennial
Growth habit: Compact / spreading rosette
Dormancy: Winter
Difficulty: Easy
Water: Rainwater / RO / distilled
Position: Full sun
Suitable for bog gardens: Yes