Scientific NameSarracenia purpurea L.
General Description
Pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae). Like many other carnivorous plants, pitcher plants grow in boggy areas that are low in nutrients. They gain extra nitrogen by capturing, drowning, and absorbing…
Pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae). Like many other carnivorous plants, pitcher plants grow in boggy areas that are low in nutrients. They gain extra nitrogen by capturing, drowning, and absorbing nutrients from insects and other arthropods. The pitchers of these plants are modifed leaves that hold rainwater. The leaves are very slippery and have downwards pointing hairs that make it difficult for an insect to climb out once it has tumbled in. Drowned insects decompose mainly through the action of bacteria rather than digestive chemicals produced by the plant. Evidence that the water held in the pitcher is relatively harmless is that many species of aquatic mites and insects such as mosquito larvae thrive in these pools. Photographed at Hebert's Bog, near Lake Opinicon, Ontario, 20 June 1994. (Source: University of Alberta BioDiTRL online database, accessed Dec. 7, 2015. Copyright restrictions apply.)
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Citation
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Page Citation for Sarracenia purpurea L.
Page Citation
"Species Details - Sarracenia purpurea L., University of Alberta Vascular Plant Herbarium." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/1-4013. Accessed 02 Jan. 2025.
Specimen Information
There are 34 specimens of this Species.
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23 results plotted on map in 22 markers. Note: Only records with latitude and longitude coordinates are plotted on map.