''Sarracenia leucophylla'', also known as the crimson pitcherplant, purple trumpet-leaf or white pitcherplant, is a carnivorous plant in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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'' an ...

''.

Distribution

Like all the sarracenias, it is native to North America. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. USDA Distribution map for ''Sarracenia leucophylla''
/ref> It inhabits moist and low-nutrient 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 ...

'')

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

s, primarily along the

United States Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...

, and generally west of the Apalachicola River on the Florida Panhandle. It is also found in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, Georgia,

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 ...

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

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In North Carolina it has apparently been introduced by humans to areas outside its native range. Weakley, Alan S.
''Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic StatesWorking Draft of 30 November 2012.''
pg 805-806

Description

''Sarracenia leucophylla'' has nodding, brownish-red flowers and clusters of erect, hollow, pitcher-like leaves. Each leaf is colored at top with reddish-purple veins on a white background and topped by an erect, roundish, wavy-edged hood.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network−NPIN: ''Sarracenia leucophylla'' (Crimson pitcherplant)
/ref> It is highly variable with respect to its height, with plants in some localities reaching almost in height, while in others, plants can be diminutive. A seldom seen tall dwarf form is endemic to Garcon Point in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

Conservation

The plant is a listed

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...

on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The greatest threat to ''S. leucophylla'', as is the case with most ''Sarracenia'' species, is loss of its unique

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

habitat to development along the Gulf Coast, as well as forest succession that was historically kept in check by natural

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s. It is also endangered from being one of the largest and showiest ''Sarracenia'' species, and is vulnerable to poachers of living plants and to the cut-floral trade for use in flower arrangements.

Cultivation

''Sarracenia leucophylla'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. Despite its native range in the Southeastern U.S., it is remarkably hardy and can be grown outside even in USDA zones 6 and colder with careful winter protection. In cultivation it is generally less tolerant of stagnant water conditions and requires adequate soil drainage while still retaining requisite moisture levels to prevent root rot.International Carnivorous Plant Society: Growing ''Sarracenia Leucophylla''
/ref> Several clones are recognized: *'Schnell's Ghost', a yellow-flowered clone with little red in the pitchers (though not anthocyanin free) *'Hurricane Creek White', a group of predominantly white plants from Hurricane Creek, AL *'Tarnok', a mutant form which produces a showy, although sterile, double flower *'Titan', an especially tall and robust form that may produce fall pitchers greater than 38 inches (97 cm) in height.

Gallery

File:Sarracenia leucophylla0.jpg File:Sarracenia leucophylla flower.jpg File:Sarracenia leucophylla field.jpg File:Sarracenia-leucophylla wikimedia-org.png, In cultivation File:Sarracenia leucophylla Liberec 1.jpg, At Liberec Botanical Garden, Czechia

References

External links

*
UC Photos gallery — ''Sarracenia leucophylla''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1752921 leucophylla Carnivorous plants of North America Endemic flora of the United States Flora of the Southeastern United States