Sarracenia minor

The Hooded Pitcherplant, native to the bogs of NC, SC, GA and FL, is a smallish pitcherplant, 8-16 inches tall. The pitcher consists of a green tube or trap which expands gradually from base up towards the hood; then, in an unbroken line, the hood arches smoothly, closely and protectively over the orifice of the trap. There are pronounced white and/or translucent, window-like “panes” on the back of the hood and upper trap. These “fenestrations” permit light to enter the otherwise dark interior of the trap, possibly helping to lure in the critters. In April and May, a round, clear yellow, odorless flower drops from a leafless scape or flower stalk, generally shorter than the pitcher. While the pitcher of S. minor is distinctive, it is similar to other pitcherplants in its habit of pitchers arising as a rosette from a base, spreading by means of rhizomes and being effective at trapping and digesting nitrogenous nourishment from the soft parts of small insect bodies, especially ants. In cultivation it is somewhat drier than others of its family, but if grown in a container it still requires to be kept moist with deionized water and exposed to cold winter temperatures as well.