Purple Pitcherplant

Sarracenia purpurea

Good

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height: 9 inches–1.5 feet
Spread: 1–2 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to standing water

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Sarracenia purpurea — whole plant photograph — (c) Aaron Carlson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Evergreen

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Recorded in 18 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 108 animals.

Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnolia Warbler
Dendroica magnolia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Waterthrush
Seiurus noveboracensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Sarracenia

Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
Exyra faxPitcherplant Looper Moth, Pitcher Plant Moth
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Papaipema appassionataPitcher-Plant Borer Moth

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sarracenia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Sarraceniaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow, green or purple

What its natural habitat tells you

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Yellow, green or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “9 inches–1.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S2
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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