# purple pitcher plant (*Sarracenia purpurea*) The purple pitcher plant is a special plant that looks like a tall cup. It catches bugs to eat, which helps it grow in wet places where the soil is poor. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 32 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![purple pitcher plant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Purplepitcherplant.jpg&width=800) Photo: Shipguy, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purplepitcherplant.jpg) ## Appearance The purple pitcher plant is a low-growing perennial with a rosette of deep red to purple, trumpet-shaped leaves (pitchers). These leaves often have prominent purplish veins and a ruffled, lighter-colored hood. Its unique nodding flowers are also dark red or purple. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Ericales - **Family:** Sarraceniaceae - **Genus:** Sarracenia ## Interesting facts - Its unique umbrella-shaped flowers hang upside down, protecting pollen from rain! - Some purple pitcher plants can live for 20 years or even longer in the wild! - The pitcher plant gets most of its food from sunlight, not just the bugs it eats! - This plant often hosts tiny mosquito larvae that live safely inside its watery pitchers! ## Special abilities - **Insect Trap Master:** The purple pitcher plant can lure and capture insects in its water-filled leaves to obtain essential nutrients. - **Rainwater Collector:** Its pitcher leaves are perfectly shaped to collect rainwater, which helps drown its insect prey. - **Winter Warrior:** This plant has a special tolerance to cold, allowing it to survive freezing winters in temperate zones. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 15-60 cm - **Spread:** 20-50 cm - **Flower Size:** 3-5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late Spring - Early Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** pitcher plant mosquito (*Wyeomyia smithii*) — Mosquito larvae live harmlessly inside the pitcher plant's leaves. - **Pollinates:** common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — Bumblebees visit the unique flowers, helping the plant reproduce. - **Eats:** pitcher plant moth (*Exyra rolandiana*) — Moth larvae munch on the pitcher plant, sometimes harming it. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Tube Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tube-flower): A tube flower has petals fused together at the base, forming a distinct tubular structure that typically holds nectar deep within. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Carnivorous Plant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous-plant): Carnivorous plants are predatory flowering plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Don't touch the plant's leaves; they are special and can be delicate. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify purple pitcher plant? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is purple pitcher plant? 15-60 cm ### How wide does purple pitcher plant spread? 20-50 cm ### How big are the flowers on purple pitcher plant? 3-5 cm ### When does purple pitcher plant bloom? Late Spring - Early Summer ### Is purple pitcher plant edible? No ### Is purple pitcher plant toxic? None ### What is purple pitcher plant's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Bear Swamp](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bear-swamp) — Massachusetts, US · Nature Reserve - [Black Tern Bog State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/black-tern-bog-state-natural-area) — Wisconsin, US · State Park - [Chesham](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chesham) — New Hampshire, US · Historic District - [Currier Park Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/currier-park-historic-district) — Vermont, US · Historic District - [Enfield Shaker Museum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/enfield-shaker-museum) — New Hampshire, US · Museum - [Saint Regis Pond](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/saint-regis-pond) — New York, US · Natural Landmark [View all places to see purple pitcher plant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/purple-pitcher-plant) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Purple Pitcher Plant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/purple-pitcher-plant)