Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa - Southern Purple Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia purpurea venosa is a small carnivorous plant with wide pitchers. It is a species whose foliage is pink then green and purple. It is named venosa due to the numerous red veins running through the pitcher. Its lid is slightly wavy. Cultivable outdoors, it is a hardy plant that thrives in wet, acidic, drained, and poor soil. It enjoys sunshine, but is sensitive to its most scorching rays, which can cause dryness. Its famous pitchers serve as traps for flying insects and, in the case of Sarracenia purpurea venosa, small invertebrates. It thrives in lightened soil with peat and sand, and should only be watered with rainwater. Under these conditions, it can spend the entire year in the garden, by the edge of a pond, in damp ground or in a pot. It can also be grown indoors, but as it is hardy down to at least -15° C, or even -18° C, it benefits from a period of dormancy outdoors in the winter cold. 


Sarracenia belongs to the Sarraceniaceae family. It is a perennial evergreen originating from the marshy areas of the eastern United States. Its trumpet-shaped leaves vary in colour and are adorned with veins in certain species. Their shape and height also change depending on the species or cultivars. The plant produces pitchers in which insects are captured. They are attracted by the colour, shape, and nectar secreted by the plant at the entrance of the trap. Sarracenia purpurea venosa is found naturally beyond the United States: it is also present in Europe (Germany, Switzerland) and in France in the Jura. It reaches 15 to 20 cm in height and spreads slowly over 20 to 30 cm. Its smaller leaves change from pink to green and purple. The plant may flower after a few years under good conditions, on thick stems topped with large round buds that open into flowers resembling those of daffodils. 


Sarracenia purpurea venosa is an excellent plant for wet to marshy areas, easily settling at the edges of water bodies, sheltered from the wind, while considering its cultivation conditions: acidic, drained, and poor soil in full sun. It also thrives in a pot on the terrace, provided it has an appropriate and constantly moist substrate, and is only watered with rainwater. You can plant several varieties of different sizes and appearances.