Sarracenia purpurea (Pitcher Plant)
Ecology
An insectivourous perennial herb planted in several wet peat bogs, where it often becomes well naturalised but is sometimes only short-lived. It is found on both raised and blanket bogs, being most vigorous in wet, flushed areas. Some populations in Ireland are spreading by wind-dispersed seed. Lowland.
Status
Trends
S. purpurea was cultivated in our area by 1640, and is grown for its dramatic pitcher-shaped leaves. It was initially planted on a raised bog in Co. Laois in the late 19th century but did not survive. However, it spread prolifically after it was planted on Derrycashel Bog (Co. Roscommon) in 1906. It has increased since the 1962 Atlas, especially in Britain, although some Irish populations have been lost to peat extraction.
World Distribution
Native of western N. America.
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JNCC Designations
PLANTATT - Attributes of British and Irish plants. (.zip 1455KB) This dataset was compiled and published in 2004, and last updated in November 2008. Download includes an Excel spreadsheet of the attributes, and a PDF explaining the background and nomenclature. Note that the PDF version is the booklet as published, whereas the Excel spreadsheet incorporates subsequent corrections. A hardcopy can be purchased from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Atlas text references
Atlas (142c)
Foss & O`Connell (1985)
Jalas & Suominen (1999)