''Sarracenia alata'', also known as yellow trumpets, pale pitcher plant or pale trumpet, is a

carnivorous plant Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryot ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Sarracenia ''Sarracenia'' ( or ) is a genus comprising 8 to 11 species of North American pitcher plants, commonly called trumpet pitchers. The genus belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which also contain the closely allied genera '' Darlingtonia'' and ...

''. It is native to North America.

Distribution

Like all ''

'' species, ''Sarracenia alata'' is native to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

and grows in permanently wet and open wetlands typically classified as longleaf pine (''

Pinus palustris The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

'') savannas. The Pale pitcher plant's habitat is split into two geographically separate areas: an eastern range from eastern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

across southern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and into western

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

and a western range from eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

into western Louisiana. In Mississippi, stands of ''Sarracenia alata'' rival in size those of any other ''Sarracenia'' species.

Description

Among members of ''

'' the floral coloring of ''Sarracenia alata'' is remarkably varied. Flowers may be cream to white, greenish, yellow or reddish. As the floral color variations exist within populations hundreds of miles from any other ''Sarracenia'' species, these variations cannot be attributed to hybridization.Sheridan, Philip M
"What is the identity of the west gulf coast pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata Wood?"
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 20 (1991): 102-110
PDF version
/ref> Other than the range of floral colors, ''Sarracenia alata'' differs little from ''

Sarracenia rubra ''Sarracenia rubra'', also known as the sweet pitcherplant, or purple pitcherplant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus ''Sarracenia''. Like all ''Sarracenia'', it is native to the New World. Its range extends from southern Mississippi, through ...

''. The veining of ''Sarracenia rubra'' pitchers tends to be more reticulated whereas that of ''Sarracenia alata'' often exhibits more of a pinstripe pattern and grows taller pitchers.

Distribution

Description

References

Further reading