Taxonomy Sarracenia

a flowering specimen of highly variable sarracenia purpurea

the genus sarracenia belongs family sarraceniaceae, contain closely allied genera darlingtonia , heliamphora. under cronquist system, family put in order nepenthales along nepenthaceae , droseraceae. apg ii system, however, assigns sarraceniaceae order ericales , other 2 families order caryophyllales.

typically anywhere 8 11 species of sarracenia recognized, depending on individual opinions on biological species concept , among many subspecies , varieties should elevated species status, common lumping , splitting problem in demarcation. authorities split described subspecific taxa of s. rubra 3 5 species. similarly, s. rosea not recognized species distinct s. purpurea. commonly recognized species include:

sarracenia alabamensis case & r.b.case
sarracenia alata (alph.wood) alph.wood : pale pitcher plant
sarracenia flava l. : yellow pitcher plant
sarracenia jonesii wherry
sarracenia leucophylla raf. : white pitcher plant
sarracenia minor walt. : hooded pitcher plant
sarracenia oreophila (kearney) wherry : green pitcher plant
sarracenia psittacina michx. : parrot pitcher plant
sarracenia purpurea l. : purple pitcher plant
sarracenia rosea naczi, case & r.b.case
sarracenia rubra walt. : sweet pitcher plant

currently, s. rubra can described having 5 subspecies, though argued subspecies should elevated species rank in recognition of species complex part of. division yield s. alabamensis, s. gulfensis, s. jonesii, s. rubra sensu stricto, , s. wherryi. others have argued of these demand recognition @ species rank.

mcpherson & schnell (2011)

stewart mcpherson , donald schnell carried out comprehensive taxonomic revision of genus in 2011 monograph, sarraceniaceae of north america. recognized following taxa:

a pitcher plant meadow in florida panhandle, mixed varieties of sarracenia flava: var. ornata, var. rubricorpora, , var. rugelii.



plants of sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis in okefenokee swamp park



a clump of sarracenia oreophila in habitat



sarracenia alata

s. alata var. alata   (autonym)

s. alata var. alata f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. alata var. atrorubra   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell
s. alata var. cuprea   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell
s. alata var. nigropurpurea   p.d amato ex s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell
s. alata var. ornata   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell
s. alata var. rubrioperculata   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


sarracenia flava

s. flava var. flava   (autonym)

s. flava var. flava f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. flava var. atropurpurea   (hort. w.bull ex mast.) hort. w.bull ex w.robinson
s. flava var. cuprea   d.e.schnell
s. flava var. maxima   hort. w.bull ex mast.
s. flava var. ornata   hort. bull ex w.robinson
s. flava var. rubricorpora   d.e.schnell
s. flava var. rugelii   (shuttlew. ex a.dc.) mast.


sarracenia leucophylla

s. leucophylla var. leucophylla   (autonym)

s. leucophylla var. leucophylla f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. leucophylla var. alba   (hort. t.baines ex r.hogg & t.moore) j.pietropaolo & p.pietropaolo ex s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


sarracenia minor

s. minor var. minor   (autonym)

s. minor var. minor f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. minor var. okefenokeensis   d.e.schnell


sarracenia oreophila

s. oreophila var. oreophila   (autonym)
s. oreophila var. ornata   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


sarracenia psittacina

s. psittacina var. psittacina   (autonym)

s. psittacina var. psittacina f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. psittacina var. okefenokeensis   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell

s. psittacina var. okefenokeensis f. luteoviridis   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell




sarracenia purpurea

s. purpurea subsp. purpurea   (autonym)

s. purpurea subsp. purpurea f. heterophylla   (eaton) fern.


s. purpurea subsp. venosa   (raf.) wherry

s. purpurea subsp. venosa var. venosa   (autonym)

s. purpurea subsp. venosa var. venosa f. pallidiflora   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii   d.e.schnell

s. purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola   r.l.hanrahan & j.miller


s. purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana   d.e.schnell & r.o.determann




sarracenia rubra

s. rubra subsp. rubra   (autonym)
s. rubra subsp. alabamensis   (case & r.b.case) s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell
s. rubra subsp. gulfensis   d.e.schnell

s. rubra subsp. gulfensis f. luteoviridis   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. rubra subsp. jonesii   (wherry) wherry

s. rubra subsp. jonesii f. viridescens   s.mcpherson & d.e.schnell


s. rubra subsp. wherryi   (case & r.b.case) d.e.schnell
s. rubra incompletely diagnosed taxon georgia , south carolina    (undescribed)



hybrids

a sarracenia hybrid



a wild sarracenia flava × s. purpurea in northwestern florida

sarracenia species hybridize , produce fertile offspring freely, making proper classification difficult. sarracenia hybrids able hybridize further, giving possibility of hundreds of different hybrids have multiple species in varying amounts in ancestry. since many species ranges overlap, natural hybrids relatively common. result, initial classification included many of these hybrids separate species. recent census of number of hybrids , cultivars of sarracenia species revealed 100 unique hybrids , cultivars in cultivation. many hybrids of sarracenia still commonly referred obsolete species names, particularly in horticulture. these hybrids popularly cultivated carnivorous plant enthusiasts, , there consequently huge number of hybrids , cultivars, bred showy pitchers.

some of more common named hybrids include:

sarracenia × catesbaei = s. flava × s. purpurea
sarracenia × moorei = s. flava × s. leucophylla
sarracenia × popei = s. flava × s. rubra
sarracenia × harperi = s. flava × s. minor
sarracenia × alava = s. flava × s. alata
sarracenia × mitchelliana = s. purpurea × s. leucophylla
sarracenia × exornata = s. purpurea × s. alata
sarracenia × chelsonii = s. purpurea × s. rubra
sarracenia × swaniana = s. purpurea × s. minor
sarracenia × courtii = s. purpurea × s. psittacina
sarracenia × pureophila = s. purpurea × s. oreophila
sarracenia × readii = s. leucophylla × s. rubra
sarracenia × farnhamii = s. leucophylla × s. rubra
sarracenia × excellens = s. leucophylla × s. minor
sarracenia × areolata = s. leucophylla × s. alata
sarracenia × wrigleyana = s. leucophylla × s. psittacina
sarracenia × ahlesii = s. alata × s. rubra
sarracenia × rehderi = s. rubra × s. minor
sarracenia × gilpini = s. rubra × s. psittacina
sarracenia × formosa = s. minor × s. psittacina
sarracenia × mineophila = s. minor × s. oreophila
sarracenia × psittata = s. psittacina × s. alata




^ cronquist, arthur. (1981). integrated system of classification of flowering plants. new york: columbia university press.
^ angiosperm phylogeny group. (2003). update of angiosperm phylogeny group classification orders , families of flowering plants: apg ii. botanical journal of linnean society, 141: 399–436.
^ rice, barry. (2008). sarracenia species lists. sarracenia.com faq. accessed: 10-10-2008.
^ barthlott, w., s. porembski, r. seine, , i. theisen. (2007). curious world of carnivorous plants. portland: timber press.
^ mcpherson, s. & d. schnell 2011. sarraceniaceae of north america. redfern natural history productions ltd., poole.