Sarracenia minor
Encyclopedia
Sarracenia minor, also known as the Hooded pitcher plant, is a perennial, terrestrial, rhizomatous, herbaceous
, carnivorous plant
in the genus
Sarracenia
. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to the New World
.
. The specific epithet minor means "small" and refers to the typical size of the pitchers. The common name refers to the characteristic lid of this species.
The tubes are mostly green throughout, but can also be reddish in the upper part. Flower
ing occurs late March to mid-May. Flowers are yellow in colour and odorless. Over a hundred seeds are produced by a capsule.
Sarracenia minor and S. psittacina
are the only species in the genus to employ domed pitchers with translucent white patches that allow light to enter. It has been suggested that the light shining through these patches attracts flying insects further into the pitcher and away from the pitcher's mouth in a similar manner to Darlingtonia californica
and two Nepenthes
species, N. aristolochioides
and N. klossii
. The pitcher is filled with water and enzymes produced by the plant and helpful in the digestion of prey. In the wild, Sarracenia minor seems very attractive to ants, although it also attracts and eats a wide range of flying insects.
and in Georgia
up to the southern part of North Carolina
. The species exhibits the southernmost range of any member of the Sarracenia genus extending to fragmented populations surrounding Lake Okeechobee
in south-central Florida
.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
, carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sarracenia
Sarracenia
Sarracenia is a genus comprising 8 to 11 species of North American pitcher plants. The genus belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which also contain the closely allied genera Darlingtonia and Heliamphora....
. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
.
Etymology
In 1788, the first description of S. minor was written by Thomas WalterThomas Walter (botanist)
Thomas Walter was a British-born American botanist. He is best known for his book Flora Caroliniana , an early yet fairly complete catalog of the flowering plants of South Carolina.-References:...
. The specific epithet minor means "small" and refers to the typical size of the pitchers. The common name refers to the characteristic lid of this species.
Description
The typical form is a relatively small plant with pitchers 25-35 cm in height. An especially large form, with pitchers up to 90–120 cm (35.4–47.2 ) high, grows in the Okefenokee marshes, at the border between Georgia and Florida.The tubes are mostly green throughout, but can also be reddish in the upper part. Flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
ing occurs late March to mid-May. Flowers are yellow in colour and odorless. Over a hundred seeds are produced by a capsule.
Sarracenia minor and S. psittacina
Sarracenia psittacina
Sarracenia psittacina, also known as the parrot pitcher plant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to North America, in the Southeastern United States....
are the only species in the genus to employ domed pitchers with translucent white patches that allow light to enter. It has been suggested that the light shining through these patches attracts flying insects further into the pitcher and away from the pitcher's mouth in a similar manner to Darlingtonia californica
Darlingtonia californica
Darlingtonia californica , also called the California Pitcher plant, Cobra Lily, or Cobra Plant, is a carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water...
and two Nepenthes
Nepenthes
The Nepenthes , popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups, are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises roughly 130 species, numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids...
species, N. aristolochioides
Nepenthes aristolochioides
Nepenthes aristolochioides is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level. It has an extremely unusual pitcher morphology, having an almost vertical opening to its traps....
and N. klossii
Nepenthes klossii
Nepenthes klossii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea.-Botanical history:Nepenthes klossii was discovered in southwestern New Guinea during the Wollaston Expedition of 1912 to 1913...
. The pitcher is filled with water and enzymes produced by the plant and helpful in the digestion of prey. In the wild, Sarracenia minor seems very attractive to ants, although it also attracts and eats a wide range of flying insects.
Distribution
This plant can be found in the coastal regions of northern FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
up to the southern part of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The species exhibits the southernmost range of any member of the Sarracenia genus extending to fragmented populations surrounding Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee , locally referred to as The Lake or The Big O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake contained entirely within the lower 48 states...
in south-central Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Infraspecific taxa
- Sarracenia minor var. minor
- Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis Schnell (2002)
Synonyms
- Sarracenia adunca Sm. (1804)
- ?Sarracenia galeata Bartr. (1791) nom.nud.Nomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
- Sarracenia lacunosa Bartr. (1794)
[=S. leucophyllaSarracenia leucophyllaSarracenia leucophylla, also known as the white pitcher plant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to the New World and inhabits moist and low-nutrient longleaf pine savannas along the United States Gulf Coast, generally west of the Apalachicola...
/S. minor] - Sarracenia minor auct. non Walt.: Sweet (1832) [=S. rubraSarracenia rubraSarracenia rubra, also known as the Sweet pitcher plant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to the New World...
] - Sarracenia variolaris Michx. (1803)