Back to basics, shall we?
Sarracenia species. Below you’ll find the cornerstones of what the hybrids are built upon. I’ve recently been even more appreciative of the species; probably due to the hybrid madness that’s going on with me right now. I love the complexities, the various breeding combinations, and the whole roll-of-the-dice that you get when breeding plants. You never know what you’ll get! Patience required, but hybridizing is very awesome indeed.
That said, I’ve been only breeding/hybridizing for the past 2-3 years. I’m just starting and am only just starting to see some of my work come to fruition. All of this crossing, combining, creative madness has gotten me to really appreciate the species so much, and to realize the importance of preserving them.
Below are a few photos of the species and a listing of their subspecies/variations. Keep in mind, that even within species, there is much diversity in color, shape, and size. The photos below are for illustrative purposes to give you a very general feel/sense of what each of these species is all about. Taxonomy for the plants are debated in some cases (depending on who you talk or argue with) — but for now, I’ll try to keep it simple… 🙂
[Sarracenia alata: Pale Pitcher Plant]
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[Sarracenia flava : Yellow pitcher plant]
– Sarracenia flava var. atropurpurea
– Sarracenia flava var. cuprea
-Sarracenia flava var. maxima
– Sarracenia flava var. ornata
-Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora
-Sarracenia flava var. rugelii
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[Sarracenia leucophylla: White pitcher plant]
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[Sarracenia minor : Hooded pitcher plant]
-Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis
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[Sarracenia oreophila : Green pitcher plant]
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[Sarracenia psittacina : Parrot pitcher plant]
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[Sarracenia purpurea : Purple pitcher plant]
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea f. heterophylla
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa : Southern pitcher plant
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola
-Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana
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[Sarracenia rubra : Sweet pitcher plant]
-Sarracenia rubra subsp. alabamensis : Alabama pitcher plant
-Sarracenia rubra subsp. gulfensis : Gulf coast pitcher plant
-Sarracenia rubra subsp. jonesii
-Sarracenia rubra subsp. wherryi : Red pitcher plant
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The Pitcher Plant Project 