Purple and Deadly

What do you call a plant that makes its own fertilizer? We say they are carnivorous. Most of these species exist in bogs and other moist areas where soils are acidic and deficient in nitrogen or phosphorous. The Sarraceniaceae family consists of three genera: Sarracenia, with 12 species; Darlingtonia, with one species; and Heliamphora, with some 23 species. These plants modify leaves into insect traps called ‘pitchers.’ We have only one species in Minnesota, the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea var. purpurea.

Eloise Butler explained how the plant functions: “A fly seldom escapes from one of these leaf traps when she visits it for a sip of water. For, if she succeeds in crawling up the inner slippery surface, she will encounter a margin of stiff, downward pointing hairs that will hinder further progress. As the insects decay, they are absorbed. In this way the plants obtain the nitrogenous food … necessary for all plants... But what is novel about the insectivorous plants is that they capture living insects. They can thereby get a living from poorer soil and with feebler roots than can other plants. The flower also has a striking appearance. The calyx is dark red purple. The fiddle-shaped petals of rich wine color are folded over a genuine umbrella - the stigma of the pistil, which not only serves the usual purpose of pollination, but also keeps the pollen and nectar dry - an umbrella in use long before man thought of making one.” (1)

The infrequent bog trotter may be excused for not noticing the purple pitcher plant during the summer, fall, winter and early spring as the pitchers rise no more than six to eight inches from the bog level. It is only in late spring when they flower that they make quite a display. The remainder of the year just the ground hugging leaves remain. These over-winter, resuming their purpose in the spring. As the leaves mature, they display an assortment of mottled colors.