Sarracenia rubra

Walter

Fl. Carol., 152. 1788 ,.

Common names: Sweet or red pitcher plant
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 361. Mentioned on page 350, 351, 353, 355, 356, 362, 363.

Plants forming dense clumps; rhizomes 0.5–1.5 cm diam. Pitchers persistent, dying back if frozen, appearing with flowers and continuously all summer, erect, green to flushed red or solid maroon, often red or purple-veined distally, major veins and crossveins of internal and external surfaces dark maroon-red, without white areolae, (short-petiolate, proximal solid petiolar portion to 1/4 length of pitcher, tapering gradually from base to orifice or sometimes scarcely bulging abaxially in distal portion), (6–) 10–52 (–57) cm, firm, waxy, external surface glabrous or puberulent, wings 0.5–2 cm; orifice oval, 0.5–3.5 cm diam., rim green to red or maroon, tightly revolute, with no or distinct indentation distal to wing, sometimes forming spout; recurved adaxially, held beyond and covering orifice, sometimes held close to orifice, green to maroon, faintly red or maroon-veined, or conspicuously and densely reticulate-veined, all veins of abaxial and adaxial surfaces of hood and neck red to maroon throughout proximal and distal portions, without white areolae, ovate, flat to slightly undulate, 0.7–4.5 × 0.7–4 cm, longer than wide, base attenuate to cordate, scarcely constricted, neck 0.5 cm, margins entire or slightly undulate (proximal margins scarcely reflexed), apiculum 1–3 mm, adaxial surface with hairs to 0.5 mm. Phyllodia absent. Scapes 1–2, from 1 bud, 12–75 cm, usually 1.5–2 (–3) times height of tallest pitchers; bracts 0.4–1 cm. Flowers strongly fragrant; sepals maroon, 1.5–2.7 × 2–2.6 cm, (margins strongly reflexed abaxially after anthesis); petals maroon to red, distal portion obovate, 2.5–4 × 1.3–2.5 cm, margins erose; style disc greenish, 2–3.5 cm diam. Capsules 0.5–1.5 cm diam. Seeds 1.2–1.5 mm. 2n = 26.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

S. McDaniel (1971) stated that his broad concept of Sarracenia rubra included four intergrading regional variants. F. W. Case and R. B. Case (1976) treated the S. rubra complex as comprising four taxa: S. alabamensis subsp. alabamensis, S. alabamensis subsp. wherryi, S. jonesii, and S. rubra. D. E. Schnell (1977) distinguished the same taxa, all as subspecies, and later described an additional one, subsp. gulfensis, which differs quantitatively from typical S. rubra. See discussion under S. alabamensis.

The relative proportion of the proximal tube interior (petiole region) that is solid helps distinguish Sarracenia rubra from S. jonesii. Some specimens of subsp. rubra from the fall line of South Carolina can be large and robust like S. jonesii.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Pitchers (6-)12-30(-50) cm, gradually tapering from base to orifice; orifices 0.5-2.5 cm diam.; hood length-to-width ratio 1-4.3; scapes 12-66 cm; sc Georgia, e North Carolina, e South Carolina. Sarracenia rubra subsp. rubra
1 Pitchers (20-)25-52(-57) cm, gradually tapering from base to orifice with slight distal bulge; orifices 2.4-3.5 cm diam.; hood length-to-width ratio 0.8-1.5; scapes 26-75 cm; w Florida panhandle and adjacent Alabama and sw Georgia. Sarracenia rubra subsp. gulfensis

"winged" is not a number."variable" is not a number.

... more about "Sarracenia rubra"
not versatile +  and dorsifixed +
rounded;rounded;rounded;obtuse;obtuse;rounded +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
T. Lawrence Mellichamp +  and Frederick W. Case +
Walter +
attenuate +  and cordate +
constricted +
costate +  and purple-veined +
blotched +, green +, pink +, red +, purplish +, reddish +  and yellow-green +
ovate-oblong +, ovate-triangular +  and arched +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
globose +  and ovoid +
not stoloniferous +
mat-forming +
Sweet or red pitcher plant +
52 cm520 mm <br />0.52 m <br /> (57 cm570 mm <br />0.57 m <br />) +
dark maroon-red +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (52 cm520 mm <br />0.52 m <br />) +
ceraceous +  and firm +
umbrellalike +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Ala. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, N.C. +  and S.C. +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
fragrant +
loculicidal +
tuberculate +
globose;ovoid or obconic shallowly 5-lobed or 10-lobed +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
erect +  and recurved +
not lobed +, ovate +  and orbiculate or reniform flattened or dome-shaped +
elliptic +, ovate +, orbiculate +  and obovate +
rosette-forming +
reflexed +  and pendulous +
notched +
erose +  and entire +
undulate +  and entire +
red;maroon +
distinct +
0.7cm;4.5cm +
longer than wide +
flat +  and slightly undulate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
partly to completely covered by hood +  and gaping +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
axile +  and parietal +
5-lobed +, globose +  and conic +
tenuinucellate +  and bitegmic +
maroon +  and red +
distinct +
falcate +  and oblanciform +
purple-veined +
red +, green +  and flushed red or solid maroon +
tapering +  and tubiform +
cordate;attenuate +
Fl. Carol., +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
vertical +  and horizontal +
green +  and red or maroon +
deltate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1.5-2(-3) times height of tallest pitchers +
1 +  and 2 +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (75 cm750 mm <br />0.75 m <br />) +
tuberculate +  and reticulate-tuberculate +
keeled;irregularly clavate;reniform-obovate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
persistent +
ovate;ovate-triangular +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
50 +  and 100 +
filiform +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
expanded +
hairy +  and glabrous +
Sarracenia rubra +
Sarracenia +
species +
52 cm520 mm <br />0.52 m <br /> (57 cm570 mm <br />0.57 m <br />) +
dark maroon-red +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (52 cm520 mm <br />0.52 m <br />) +
ceraceous +  and firm +
reticulate-veined +  and maroon-veined +
scapose +, stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +