Identifying Sarracenia Rubra Subspecies and Managing Brown Patches

Question

Sarracenia ssp   QUESTION: Hi. I was wondering what type of subspecies of S. rubra I have. What is causing the browning in the middle on some of the leafs? Also is the plant on the right a S. purpurea or S. rosea? They are grown in 50/50 peat/sand mix, 7 hours of direct sun, and R/O water. I live in zone 7b Alabama. Thanks!

Answer

The sweet pitcher looks like S. rubra ssp. rubra. The narrow pitcher and the veins are what I look for. The other one is a bit hard to tell. The plant is a bit young still. I would almost lean towards saying it is S. purpurea ssp. purpurea, but it needs to be a little bigger to tell. Did you grow these from seed?

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
https://www.cobraplant.com

Follow-Up

Question: Hi. I did not grow them from seeds. I got them in the little death cubes late last summer. Bug biting plants are the people that sell them. What are the brown patches on the leafs of the S. rubra? Thanks!

Answer: It looks like a bug it caught causing decay. It also looks like an older leaf. Nothing to be concerned about. Just cut it off if you start to see mold, or when you're tired of looking at it.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
https://www.cobraplant.com