Yellow pitcherplant (Sarracenia flava) is a carnivorous perennial that blooms in spring. Colorful, pitcher-shaped leaves develop in spring and summer. Insects are lured to the plant by its attractive leaf color and become paralyzed by the nectar. The insect falls into the pitcher, where it dies and is consumed as nutrients for the plant.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Sarracenia flava, the yellow pitcherplant, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae. Like all the Sarraceniaceae, it is native to the New World. Its range extends from southern Alabama, through Florida and Georgia, to the coastal plains of southern Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Populations also exist in the Piedmont, Mendocino County, California and mountains of North Carolina.
Like other members of the genus Sarracenia, the yellow pitcher plant traps insects using a rolled leaf, which in this species is a vibrant yellow in color, and up to over a meter (3 ft) in height (although 50 cm, 20″ is more typical).
The uppermost part of the leaf is flared into a lid (the operculum), which prevents excess rain from entering the pitcher and diluting the digestive secretions within. The upper regions of the pitcher are covered in short, stiff, downwards-pointing hairs, which serve to guide insects alighting on the upper portions of the leaf towards the opening of the pitcher tube. The upper regions are also brightly patterned with flower-like anthocyanin markings, particularly in the varieties S. flava var. rugelii and S. flava var. ornata: these markings also serve to attract insect prey.
The opening of the pitcher tube is retroflexed into a ‘nectar roll’ or peristome, whose surface is studded with nectar-secreting glands. The nectar contains not only sugars, but also the alkaloid coniine (a toxin also found in hemlock), which probably intoxicates the prey. Prey entering the tube find that their footing is made extremely uncertain by the smooth, waxy secretions found on the surfaces of the upper portion of the tube.
Insects losing their footing on this surface plummet to the bottom of the tube, where a combination of digestive fluid, wetting agents and inward-pointing hairs prevent their escape. Some large insects (such as wasps) have been reported to escape from the pitchers on occasion, by chewing their way out through the wall of the tube.
In spring, the plant produces large flowers with 5-fold symmetry. The yellow petals are long and strap-like, and dangle over the umbrella-like style of the flower, which is held upside down at the end of a 50 cm, 20″ long escape. The stigma of the flower is found at the tips of the ‘spokes’ of this umbrella. Pollinating insects generally enter the flower from above, forcing their way into the cavity between the petals and umbrella, and depositing any pollen they are carrying on the stigmata as they enter. The pollinators generally exit the flower, having been dusted with the plant’s own pollen, by lifting a petal. This one-way system helps to ensure cross pollination.
In late summer and autumn, the plant stops producing carnivorous leaves, and instead produces flat, non-carnivorous phyllodia. This is probably an adaptation to low light levels and insect scarcity during the winter months, and shows clearly the cost of carnivory.
The yellow pitcher plant is easy to cultivate, and is one of the most popular carnivorous plants in horticulture. The yellow pitcher plant readily hybridized with other members of the genus Sarracenia: the hybrids S. x catesbaei (S. flava × S. purpurea) and S. moorei (S. flava × S. leucophylla) are found in the wild, and are also popular amongst collectors.
II. How to Grow and Care
Light and temperature
Yellow pitcher plant can grow in full sun. The plant needs a temperature of between 5 and 15 ° C in winter and 20 to 40 ° C in summer. In summer, the plant can be grown outdoors without problems. But in winter it has to avoid frost. We can keep the plant at higher temperatures, inside a house for example, but we will then take the risk of reducing its life. It can be installed in outdoor peat bogs because it can withstand temperatures of -12 ° C.
In winter, an atmosphere that is too dry and too hot can encourage an invasion of mealybugs. The accumulation of insects in the pitchers often leads to leaf mold in winter. You need to cut the affected leaves to prevent spread to the entire plant. To avoid this risk many people cut all leaves at the beginning of winter.
Watering
Use mineral-free water or water low in minerals. Keep the soil moist all year long, but plant crowns should not sit for prolonged periods in water. You can use a saucer under the pot, and reduce and remove it in winter. Plants need full sun in the growing season and cold temperatures in winter dormancy.
Soil
Yellow pitcher plant thrives in well-aerated, acidic soil with a pH of 4.5-5.5. A suitable soil mix can be created using a combination of sphagnum peat moss and perlite at a ratio of 2:1 to promote drainage and avert water-logging. If peat moss isn’t available, a blend of pine bark fines and sand may be substituted. Incorporate slow-release acidic fertilizer annually for optimum growth. Ensure consistent moisture without overwatering to maintain the health of yellow pitcher plant.
Fertilizing
Yellow pitcherplant tolerates nutrient-poor and moisture-retaining soil, as it has evolved to catch insects. Fertilizer should not be used unless your soil is almost completely lacking a certain mineral. If you keep the plant outside for several weeks during the summer, the plant will be able to catch enough food for itself. Please do not feed your yellow pitcherplant meat. If additional nutrients are required, use supplement food sold for Venus flytrap plants. Dried crickets are an excellent choice.
Planting Instructions
Yellow pitcherplant is easiest to grow in plastic pots or any other large plastic container. It can be grown indoors or inserted into soil in a container. If planting outside, plastic containers are recommended, as they will ensure that your plant has ample amounts of water. This will also reduce your watering and is economically sensible and eco-friendly.
Before planting, add a mixture of peat and sand to the hole for drainage and nutrition. Yellow pitcherplant needs a deep hole of 30 to 41 cm, with at least 25 cm spacing between plants. When planting, the crown of the rhizome should stick out just above the soil.
Pruning
Yellow pitcherplant can thrive without pruning. However, sometimes it is necessary to remove certain parts to increase the overall health and create a fuller plant. Prune blossoms if they wilt. Use sharp garden scissors to remove the bloom stalk at its base. If the leaves have turned yellow and wilted, cut off them at the base where they meet the stem of the plant. Remember to disinfect your garden scissors between plants to reduce any possible cross-contamination.
Propagation
If in nature the production of seeds is important, it is not the same in culture. Pollination occurs only rarely, probably due to lack of pollinating insects. It can be tempted naturally by taking the pollen of a flower with a brush and placing it on the stigma of another flower. If all goes well, we will get about a hundred seeds in late summer.
To germinate these will need to undergo stratification . It will be necessary to sow them from the beginning of March, in a container containing a mixture of peat and sand packed and well humidified. The seeds will just be covered with a thin layer of sifted peat. The whole will be placed in the refrigerator for two to three weeks to undergo cooling.
After this stratification, the seedbed will be returned to normal temperature at about 20 °C. The germination is long enough it will take sometimes more than two months. When the plants are strong enough to be handled they can be replanted in small pots with the same compost as the adult plants. This mode of reproduction would be ideal if the germination was not so capricious. Moreover, in the first years, the growth of Sarracenia flava is very slow.
Division is also possible for the Yellow pitcher plant. Once a plant is well established it produces at its foot releases that we can separate in the spring. We will detach the rejection with a tool very sharp and clean, it will be necessary to dig up the plant slightly. The recovery will be no problem if the rejection has good roots. This operation can be done during a repotting of the plant.
Transplanting
The ideal season for transplanting yellow pitcherplant is S1-S3 due to favorable temperature and moisture levels for growth. Choose a location with full sun to partial shade and ensure proper drainage. Though resilient, yellow pitcherplant benefits from a gentle touch during transplanting.
Repotting
Repot yellow pitcherplant every 2-3 years during its dormancy in winter to accommodate its rhizomes’ growth. Choose a tall, well-draining pot to mimic its natural bog habitat. Ensure a nutrient-poor, acidic substrate like peat/sand mix. Post-repotting, keep yellow pitcherplant well-hydrated with distilled water, avoiding fertilizers for optimal health and intriguing pitcher development.