Question
Sarracenia flava rugel
Hi, hope you can help me. The two plants in the picture came from the same packet of seeds I bought. The seeds were Yellow Pitcher - Sarracenia flava rugelii and although the plant on the right in the picture can be easily identified as a Yellow Pitcher, the one on the left looks a little different. Is it also a Yellow Pitcher or something else?
Thanks
Johan
AnswerHi Johan,
Both plants are very young, so I can't properly identify them just yet. I agree that the plant on the right has features that are consistent with Sarracenia flava. The one of the left has features more consistent with Sarracenia flava x rubra. We can properly identify the plant when it gets olders. The flowers will also indicate whether you have a true species or a hybrid.
Keep in mind that pollen contamination is common, so you will see a wide array of physical characteristics with seedlings. Unless the plant was sequestered, hand-pollinated and kept isolated from other flowering plants until the seed pod develops, the grower cannot guarantee that seeds will be true to form. Even with hand pollination outdoors, a grower can only guarantee that the seeds were collected from a particular plant.
This is how we market our own seeds. We state that the seeds were collected from a particular species, but clearly state that the flowers were open pollinated (by insects).
In any case, congratulations on growing Sarracenia from seed!
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
