Purple Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia purpurea, the purple pitcher plant, is a carnivorous perennial forming a rosette of squat, bulbous pitchers. These pitchers are typically green with red or purple veining and feature an upright, wavy-edged hood that allows rainwater to collect inside. Unique, nodding, reddish-purple flowers appear on leafless stalks in spring. Unlike many other Sarracenia species, its upright hood allows rainwater to fill the pitchers. It relies on a symbiotic community of aquatic microorganisms within this water to digest trapped prey, rather than solely its own enzymes. The pitchers are evergreen, often deepening in color in fall and winter.