Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis flower and pitcher.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryi.

Sarracenia rubra 'Golden Red Jubilee', a selected hybrid between S. rubra ssp. alabamensis and S. rubra ssp. jonesii.  This hybrid gets its yellow cast and heavy throat venation from S. rubra ssp. alabamensis and the long lid and heavy pitcher and hood venation from S. rubra ssp. jonesii. Hybrid Sarracenia are not subject to the US Endangered Species Act or CITES. Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis spring pitchers.

Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis in the fall after most of the spring pitchers have died back and been removed.

Two year old Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryi seedlings in an 8 cm pot.  Seedlings of this species are very slow growing.

Sarracenia rubra is a complex species or a species complex depending on your point of view. In the wild, the plants are found in diverse habitats of the southeastern USA with each subspecies (or species) found in a different typical habitat and locality. The pitchers of the S. rubra subspecies vary in the size, amount of venation, and color of the pitchers. Spring pitchers may be rather floppy. Fall pitchers are more robust and pigmented. Summer pitchers are intermediate. The flowers are deep red to maroon. The flowers are relatively small when compared to other Sarracenia species, but also unlike the other species, it is common to get multiple flowers per growth point.

S. rubra ssp. rubra is found in the grassy coastal plains from southeastern North Carolina to northeastern Georgia usually along stream and marsh margins. In cultivation, the plants tend to be small and weedy with pitchers usually 20 to 30 cm tall. They can reach 45 cm in the wild. They have a narrow mouth width of 1.5 to 2.3 cm. Even with full sun, the pitchers of this subspecies can be quite floppy in the spring.

S. rubra ssp. gulfensis grows in seepage bogs and along small streams in northwest Florida. It has very tall pitchers in the range of 40 to 60 cm, usually the upper end of that range. The pitcher mouth is usually 2.4 to 3.5 cm wide. This subspecies is very much like a very tall and more robust S. rubra ssp. rubra although the spring pitchers are not floppy.

There is a population of S. rubra in need of proper classification as a distinct subspecies in the sand hill seepage bogs at the fall line in central Georgia. The fall line is a transition zone characterized by a sharp drop in topography resulting in streams having falls. Many very rare plants are found in this habitat. In cultivation, the S. rubra plants from this location appear to be intermediate in form between S. rubra ssp. jonesii and S. rubra ssp. gulfensis. They have the growth habit and size of S. rubra ssp. jonesii without the distinctive taxonomic characters of that subspecies. The plants are currently nicknamed "Ancestral" because they are upstream from S. rubra ssp. gulfensis and thus potentially an ancestor of that subspecies. Based on this reasoning, Don Schnell considers the central Georgia population as S. rubra ssp. gulfensis until someone officially publishes a taxonomic description of it.

S. rubra ssp. wherryi is found in the coastal plain in southwestern Alabama. In character it is intermediate between S. rubra ssp. rubra and S. rubra ssp. alabamensis. It has has slightly more robust pitchers and fewer red veins than S. rubra ssp. rubra and tends to pick up some of the yellow cast of S. rubra ssp. alabamensis. The pitchers range 28 to 43 cm tall with a 3.4 to 5.3 cm wide mouth.

S. rubra ssp. alabamensis is found in boggy soils around springs in wooded or shrubby areas along the fall line in central Alabama. This species is listed as an endangered species. You will often see it referred to as Sarracenia alabamensis by conservationists. This species tends to have fine red venation and can have a copper blush in the upper part of the pitcher. The hood tends to be yellow and the yellow cast can extend down the tube. The insides of the pitcher can have intense red venation. The upper part of the pitchers may also have faint areoles (light windows) on the back. The pitchers of this species tend to be the most robust of the group. They are usually 18 to 49 cm tall with a mouth width up to 6 cm.

S. rubra ssp. jonesii is found in mountain seepage bogs of North Carolina. It is also listed as an endangered species and known as Sarracenia jonesii to conservationists. This species is found somewhat upstream of S. rubra ssp. rubra and in many respects is a more robust form of that subspecies. Its pitchers tend to be on the order of 40 to 60 cm tall with a mouth width of 3 to 4 cm. It is distinctive in having a very long hood. The upper part of the pitcher and hood can be coppery in some selections. The species also has all red and all green forms. Many of the rare form plants in cultivation are progeny of stolen plants.

In addition to the problem of stolen plants, it's a violation of the Federal Endangered Species Act to transport endangered species across state lines for sale and a violation of CITES to transport endangered species internationally without permits. You might consider these facts before purchasing or otherwise acquiring S. rubra ssp. jonesii or S. rubra ssp. alabamensis plants without proper documentation. The ICPS recommends you keep all information (sales receipts, letters, etc.) that document your aquisitions of these rare plants in case you are ever asked by authorities to prove your plants were obtained legally.

Adult plants of all subspecies of S. rubra enjoy full sun outdoors. They do best in peat/sand soil mixtures. Make sure you use a large enough pot as the plants tend to not like being transplanted--they don't die, they just take a year or two to get back to their usual selves. Like other Sarracenia, S. rubra require seasons in order to survive long term. Typical summer temperatures where they grow naturally are in the mid 30's C (90's F). Winter temperatures can be below freezing at times. However seedlings make excellent terrarium plants without winter dormancy for up to two years. The seedlings do tend to be very slow growing. Adult plants of this species are very dependent on light and temperature cues to determine when to grow and what type of leaves to form. The terrarium to outdoor transition can be difficult. It can take a confused plant a year to get into seasonal sync.

For producing seeds and growing seedlings, you may use the general guidelines for growing Sarracenia from seed except remember that S. rubra does best in peat mixes. The plants should always be sitting in pure water when they are growing. They should be top-watered regularly to maintain the oxygen levels for the roots and to keep salt levels down in the soil.

Please see Donald E. Schnell (2002) Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada for additional information on the S. rubra complex. The measurements and some of the information above are from the book.