Explore the diversity of North American pitcher plants in the genus Sarracenia. Their pitchers come in a remarkable range of shapes, veining, and colors.

How pitcher plants work

Sarracenia are North American pitcher plants. Each pitcher is a modified leaf that attracts insects with color and nectar. Slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs make it difficult for prey to climb back out, and the plant gains nutrients as the captured insects break down in the pitcher fluid.

Many species come from sunny wetlands and bogs, especially in the southeastern United States. They grow from a rhizome and produce new pitchers during the growing season. Most temperate species also have a winter dormancy, so their appearance naturally changes through the year.

Sarracenia photo gallery

Sarracenia oreophila pitcher plant showing upright green pitchers with reddish veining

Yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila)
Photo: Noah Elhardt. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic.

Sarracenia leucophylla white-top pitcher plant growing at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

White-top pitcher plant (Sarracenia leucophylla)
Photo: Rhododendrites. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

These are reference photographs of the species, not pictures of individual plants currently offered for sale. Plants vary in size and appearance depending on age and growing conditions.

Visit the BiteBloom shop to see our current carnivorous plant selection.