Sarracenia minor

Common Names

Hooded Pitcher Plant, Pitcher Plant, Spotted Pitcher Plant

Summary

Sarracenia minor, commonly known as the Hooded pitcher plant, is a perennial carnivorous herb native to the southeastern United States, occurring in boggy wetlands such as wet pine flatwoods, seepage slopes, bogs, and wet ditches, it is distinguished by hooded, upright pitchers with a strongly curved hood, green or red-tinged tubes, and white translucent windows on the upper pitcher, flowers are pale yellow-green and borne on leafless stalks, and the plant forms dense clumps through rhizomes, cultivation calls for bright direct sun and consistently moist, acidic soil, water from rainwater or distilled sources and avoid conventional fertilizers, propagation occurs by rhizome division, or by seed (flowering may take 4 to 5 years), plants can be grown outdoors in bog gardens or in containers with peat-based mixes, and are hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9 with a winter dormancy, the plant serves as a striking addition for naturalistic carnivorous plant habitats and provides natural pest control

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-2.5 feet

Spread

12-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 6-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun; tolerates Partial Sun (about 4–6 hours daily) according to sources.

Soil Type

Acidic, peat-based soil with good drainage that is kept consistently wet

Soil Drainage

Well-draining, damp but not soggy, acidic soil; typically an equal-part mix of sphagnum peat moss and perlite or sand.

Soil pH

4.5-6.5

Bloom Color

Yellow to pale yellow-green

Bloom Time

Spring (late March to mid-May)

Foliage Color

Green, sometimes suffused with red or purple veining, and yellow-green forms exist

Fall Foliage Color

Reddish to purplish

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast growth; rhizome division yields rapid growth and high success, seed propagation is slower.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division (rhizome division; cuttings)

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators