Expert: Christopher Littrell - 4/20/2009

Question
I have a Pitcher plant that I'm not sure of what SP/SSP it is it looks like it could be ether a ssp. purpurea or a venosa but it wont get any other colors in it but green.
The pitchers are thick and the hoods are smooth.
The only thing is that it does not like colder temperature's like the above named SSP's.
And from what I've read on them its hard to get them to propagate through Rhizome but mine now has five of them growing around the mother plant.
I've only had it for about seven to eight months or so and the pitchers are five to six inches long and about two to three inches from one side to the other.
And how do I separate the baby's from the mother plant without killing ether the baby's or the mother plant?

Answer
Hello Sean,

We might need to do a bit more work with this one. How do you know the plant does not tolerate colder temperatures?

In any case, if the plant is indeed a S. purpurea of any subspecies it will tolerate temperatures down below freezing in the wild. In a pot it would need some consideration for the root system to keep it from freeze drying by insulating the pot in mulch or simply keeping the plant where the temperatures do not drop so low, like in a garage with a window. Of course, that would only be during winter dormancy.

In any case, is your plant in direct, full sunlight outside if possible? This time of year the plant should be in warming spring weather and getting ready to flower.
It will produce purple coloration in strong light unless it is a hybrid with a species of Sarracenia that passed on predominant green coloration of the pitchers.

That brings me to my next point.  There are South American pitcher plants called Heliamphora that look similar to S. purpurea and are predominantly green in color with smooth pitchers and a need for warmer climates. Check out some pictures and care advice from cobraplant.com and ask Sarracenia Northwest for more advice if Heliamphora is the plant you have. I have no experience with Heliamphora if that is indeed the plant your growing.

Christopher