Sarracenia purpurea
| Purple pitcher plant | |
|---|---|
| File:Sarracenia purpurea Flowers.JPG | |
| Flowering Sarracenia purpurea, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: |
S. purpurea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sarracenia purpurea |
|
| File:Sarracenia purpurea range.png | |
| Sarracenia purpurea range | |
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Sarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant, or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae. Its range includes almost the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, the Great Lakes, and south eastern Canada, making it the most common and broadly distributed pitcher plant, as well as the only member of the genus that inhabits cold temperate climates. The species is the floral emblem of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The species was introduced into bogs in parts of Ireland, where it has proliferated.[1]
Description
Like other species of Sarracenia, S. purpurea obtains most of its nutrients through prey capture.[2] However, prey acquisition is said to be inefficient, with less than 1% of the visiting prey captured within the pitcher.[3] Even so, anecdotal evidence by growers often shows that pitchers quickly fill up with prey during the warm summer months. Prey fall into the pitcher and drown in the rainwater that collects in the base of each leaf. Prey items such as flies, ants, spiders, and even moths, are then digested by an invertebrate community, made up mostly by the mosquito Wyeomyia smithii and the midge Metriocnemus knabi. The relationship between W. smithii and S. purpurea is an example of commensalism.[4]
Protists, rotifers (including Habrotrocha rosa), and bacteria form the base of inquiline food web that shreds and mineralizes available prey, making nutrients available to the plant.[5][6][7] New pitcher leaves do produce digestive enzymes such as hydrolases and proteases, but as the individual leaves get older into their second year, digestion of prey material is aided by the community of bacteria that live within the pitchers.[8][9]
Taxonomy
The species is further divided into two subspecies, S. purpurea subsp. purpurea and S. purpurea subsp. venosa. The former is found from New Jersey north, while the latter is found from New Jersey south and tolerates warmer temperatures.
In 1999, Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii was described as a species of its own: Sarracenia rosea. This re-ranking has been debated among carnivorous plant enthusiasts since then, but further morphological evidence has supported the split.[10] The following species and infraspecific taxa are usually recognized:
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea f. heterophylla
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea f. ruplicola (invalid)
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii [=S. rosea]
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola[11]
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana
- Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii [=S. rosea]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ C. Michael Hogan. 2011. Commensalism. Topic Ed. M.Mcginley. Ed-in-chief C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Rice, Barry. (2007). About Sarracenia purpurea, the purple pitcher plant. The Carnivorous Plant FAQ. Accessed online: 21 June 2008.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Sarracenia purpurea |
- Sarracenia purpurea at Barry Rice's carnivorous plant FAQ.
- Botanical Society of America, Sarracenia - the Pitcher Plants
.jpg){kind=link}
