Sarracenia purpurea purpurea
Ease to Grow: Easy
Dormancy: Recommended
Native Range: Peat Bogs of Eastern and Northern North America
Zones: 2-7 (2-8)
The Northern Purple Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea purpurea, is low growing with short, stout traps, often showing burgundy color and red veins in full sun. In the winter this carnivorous sarracenia frequently turns a gorgeous deep reddish purple color. The external pitcher surface is waxy and feels hard to the touch. It tends to clump and form colonies, about 4+ feet across. Traps hold their color through the winter and for nearly 2 years. Purple Pitcher plants are fragrant, early spring bloomers, growing deep red blossoms on 12 inch scapes that flower well before the new traps develop. Flower stalks and sepals last through the year, resembling green daffodils. The Purple Pitcher Plant prefers mild summers and cold winters. It is native, in several varieties, from Maryland to Newfoundland, and is hardy to zone 2. It is the only native Sarracenia north of Maryland. Some of its more colorful common names are: Devil's Boots, Side-Saddle Flower and Hunter's Cup. In colonial homeopathic medicine it was believed to offer relief from small pox. It is well-suited for terrariums and the backyard bog garden north into Canada.
Purple Pitcher Plants are shipped bare-root, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. In it's dormant season, it will be shipped as a dormant rhizome with trimmed off pitchers. Photographs are representative of the species, and not the specific plant shipped. Veining and coloration may vary because these are a seed strain.
Height: 4" - 8"
Plant Type: Perennial, cold temperate
Soil: Lower Bog Mix or All-Purpose Mix
Light: Bright to partial bright indoors, full sun to partial sun outdoors
Use: Grows well in the bog garden, greenhouse and indoors. It is excellent for terrariums if provided winter dormancy.
