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Sarracenia leucophylla Raf.
Family Sarraceniaceae
Common name: Pitcher Plant, Trumpet Pitcher, White Trumpet, Crimson Pitcherplant, Purple Trumpet-leaf, White Pitcher Plant, White-topped Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia leucophylla Raf. APNI*

Description: Perennial herb to 1 m high, rhizomatous, forming dense clumps, producing new leaves each year.

Tubular carnivorous leaves ('pitchers') erect, hollow, widening towards opening at the apex, lower part of tube green, upper part white or whitish pink with distinct green to pink to reddish venation, glabrous or finely pubescent, the rim loosely revolute, often with an everted indentation forming a spout with a narrow wing running below outside the tube, the operculum ('hood') wavy- or ruffled-edged, longer than wide, with downward-pointing hairs on the underside. Pitchers marcescent and can vary in size at different growth stages and during the year. Flat, narrow to oblanceolate (to 20 cm or more long), green, non-carnivorous leaves (phyllodia) may be produced in winter, when stressed or after flowering.

Flowers solitary, borne on a long, slender, leafless stem, nodding, maroon to red or brownish red, slightly sweet-scented; sepals 5, petal-like, to 5 cm long, persistent; petals 5, hanging, to 5 (-7) cm long, distal portion orbiculate to rhombic, falling soon after flowering; style, including distinct style disc, umbrella-shaped, disc to 7 cm diam., reddish; stamens numerous.

Capsule 5-parted, round, to 2 cm diam., warty, acropetally dehiscent, with numerous seeds.


Habitat
Photo D. Sheils & M. Groves

Habit
Photo J. Beattie

Flower
Photo J. Beattie

Other photo
Photo G. Hambridge

Herbarium
Sheet

Flowering: Spring.

Distribution and occurrence: recorded in February 1995 from a swamp above a tributary to Rocky Points Creek, Mt Hay Range, Blue Mountains National Park. Native of North America (endemic to southeastern United States); often cultivated as an ornamental plant; ocassionally naturalised.

Grows in wetlands. A small clump of Pitcher Plant was found growing in a hanging swamp on the edge of a rock platform of Narrabeen sandstone; associated with Sphagnum, Lepidosperma sp., Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, Lepyrodia scariosa, Drosera binata, Epacris pulchella, Empodisma minus and Leptospermum juniperinum.
NSW subdivisions: ?CT
AVH map***

Considered vulnerable, with various threats, in the wild (natural wetland habitats in southeastern United States), this is one of the largest and showiest Sarracenia species. The record from the Blue Mountains is an unusual find in a natural area some distance from urbanisation or main transport route, but growing adjacent to a narrow walking track. Possibly planted, rogue introduction or garden escape that may become naturalised in the area.

Text by P.G. Kodela, April 2017
Taxon concept: Australian Plant Census (accessed April 2017)


APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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