pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

Sarracenia: for Dr. Michel Sarrasin, early 18th century physician at Court of Quebec, who sent our northern species to Europe

purpurea: from Greek for "purple"

Habitat: OBL; wet; bogs, shores; in sand, marl (clayey, limy) soil

Status: Rare; limited to a few sites in the Chicago Wilderness area.

Plant: Carnivorous; traps and digests insects to acquire nitrates (NO3)

Flower: maroon, 5-parted, petals turning inward and soon falling off; solitary, nodding on a long stalk rising from the base of the plant

Flowering: 21 may - 8 june

Leaf: Insectivorous portion of plant; basal, hollow, forming a hooded pitcher-shaped opening -- the insect trap

Andromeda glaucophylla, Carex trisperma, Drosera intermedia, Larix laricina

C-value: 10

Distinguishing features: Once the pitcher has formed, this plant's identification is very simple. This is the only pitcher plant native to Chicago Wilderness.

Below: Detail of S. purpurea flower. Source: Julie de Loup, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2717722511_d5c83b8d51.jpg

Below: Detail of S. purpurea leaf, "pitcher" Source: USDA ARS Photo Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, United States, http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/1316055.jpg