Sarracenia rubra

Sarracenia rubra

Sarracenia rubra occurs in a scatter of distinct populations from southern North Carolina in the north through to south-easterm mississippi in the south west. The different populations have been described as subspecies. It has occasionally been suggested that Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis is better treated as a species in its own right, Sarracenia alabamensis, but it is not a view that has gained general acceptance.
All of the populations of Sarracenia rubra are under threat, though the nature of the threat differs slightly from subspecies to subspecies.
All subspecies have sweetly scented flowers, usually red in colour, but yellow forms are known. Plants are quite variable within their populations. Plants produce a crop of tall but rather lax pitchers in the spring, followed by broader stocky pitchers later in the season.
In cultivation plants produce branching rhizomes that rapidly form compact clumps of growing points, a character that is of value for hybridists.

Sarracenia rubra R-14-JW

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis
Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis is one of the most vulnerable of the Sarracenias and federally listed as threatened. It is restricted to an area of sand hills in northern central Alabama where it grows in sandy soils at the edge of springs, seeps and streams. The number of sites where the plant grows is still declining. Current surveys suggest that it only occurs at 11 locations, many holding only one or two plants. It has been suggested that only three of the locations hold enough plants to be viable in the longer term.
Currently restricted to Chilton, Elmore and Autauga Counties, there is a clone in cultivation from Montgomery County, where I believe it is now extinct.
There are many clones grown in cultivation, often originating in collections in the 1970's and 80's. I would be very pleased to hear from anybody who can connect any of these clones to their original locations. I have had plants from a number of other growers, and it is quite possible that some of the plants I grow are duplicate clones of eachother. Hopefully this will clarify over time.
Autauga County, Alabama.

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-37-RB

Chilton County, Alabama.

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-31-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-3-MK

Montgomery County, Alabama.

Sarracenia ssp rubra alabamensis R-27-NO

Other Forms

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-1-TS

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-29-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-32-AP

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-37-CR

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-41-CPS

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-45-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis R-52-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensi R-56-CK

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-1-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-2-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-02-RVL

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-4-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis RA-5-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis SR-02-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp alabamensis SR-10-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis
This subspecies is restricted to the Florida panhandle. It is possible that a small population of plants in Georgia also belong to this subspecies. The increase of the human population in the gulf coast plain of western Florida is putting increased pressure on the natural habitat.
Escambia County, Florida.

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-52-SR

Okaloosa County, Florida.

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-17-HC

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-36-RT

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-53-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-60-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-65-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-66-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-02-PJG

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-8-ST

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis SR-14-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis SR-23A-AS

Santa Rosa County, Florida.

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-12-NO

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-24-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis Anthocyanin free form. R-59-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74A-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74C-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74D-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74E-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74F-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74G-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74H-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74I-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-74J-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-77-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-1-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-01-PJG

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-01-PW

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-2-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-5-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-9-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis 'All Green Form' RGH-01-PJG

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis SR-06-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis SR-09-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis Anthocyanin free form SR-18-AS

Walton County, Florida.

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-62-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-11-PW

Other Forms

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis Anthocyanin free form R-4-RT

Sarracenia ssp rubra gulfensis R-25-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-33-SJ

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis R-55-CK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis Anthocyanin free form R-69-JC

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-4-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RG-10-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis RGH-02-PJG

Sarracenia rubra ssp gulfensis SR-27-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii
Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii is an extremely threatened plant which grows in seepage bogs in the mountains on the border of North and South Carolina Its natural distribution is restricted to Pickens County in South Carolina, and Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania Counties in North Carolina. The major threat to the plants comes from the extraction of groundwater for the surrounding human population, which lowers the water table and allows the seepage bogs to dry out.
Henderson County, North Carolina.

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-3-TS

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-8-NO

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii RJ-01-PJG

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii RJ-3-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii SR-12-AS

Greenville County, South Carolina

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-57-CK

Pickens County, South Carolina

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-9-NO

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-39-SJ

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii RJ-5-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii RJ-6-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii SR-04A-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii SR-22B-AS

Other Forms

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-2-TS

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii Anthocyanin free form. R-14-PM

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii Anthocyanin free form. R-5-JB

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-34-CP

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-73A-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-73B-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-73C-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii R-208-JA

Sarracenia rubra ssp jonesii SR-21-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra
The type subspecies of Sarracenia rubra is found throughout the coastal plain of South Carolina, reaching into southern North Carolina in the north, and down into northern Georgia in the south. The smallest growing of the subspecies, it is something of a Cinderella plant, commonly overlooked in cultivation in favour of its taller or rarer relatives. Consequently there are surprisingly few clones in cultivation with their original location data. The same situation is found in cultivation with Sarracenia purpurea venosa which is often seen as too common to worry about unduly. In the case of Sarracenia rubra, the headlines for rarity are taken by S.r.alabamensis and S.r.jonesii, which are now so rare that it is ironically much easier to protect them. The amount of attention they receive is so great that it is highly unlikely they will be allowed to die out, and their few natural locations will be protected. Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra on the otherhand, is widespread, small, easily overlooked, and confined to flat level ground that can be drained and developed. Throughout its range populations are declining and fragmenting and increasing human populations mean that the pressure will only increase. It is quite possible that the subspecies will become critically endangered before anybody really notices.
Chatham County, Georgia

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-67-AF

Crawford County, Georgia

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-63-AF

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-10-TS

Taylor County, Georgia

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-5-MK

Other forms, Georgia

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-64-AF

Ashe County, North Carolina.

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-35-RT

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra SR-26-AS

Brunswick County, North Carolina

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-61-AF

Other forms, North Carolina.

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-02-PJG

Lexington County, South Carolina.

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-8-MK

Other Forms

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-1-PM

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-38-PO

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-40-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-44-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-49-AP

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra R-50-AP

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-4-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-7-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RR-10-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra RX-51-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp rubra SR-25-AS

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi
The population of Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi occurs on the gulf coast plain of southern Alabama (well away from S.r.alabamensis) with a tiny overspill into Mississippi. If you believe in Sarracenia alabamensis, then this becomes Sarracenia alabamensis ssp wherryi.
Baldwin County, Alabama

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-30-DCB

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi RW-8-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi SR-10-DB

Washington County, Alabama

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-11-TS

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-23-DB

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-46-L

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-47-JW

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi R-68-JC

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi RW-2-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi RW-3-MK

Sarracenia rubra ssp wherryi RW-03-PW"