Purple Mountain Pitcher Plants - New & Improved!

Purple Mountain Pitchers grow well in naturally occurring beds of Sphagnum moss
like these growing wild in Transylvania County, NC

Ron Deterrmann, has been tireless in his efforts
to secure conservation for Purple Mountain Pitchers  

                                                               Purple Mountain Pitcher Plants occur naturally only in a small region of the southern Appalachians (western NC, adjacent SC and GA).  There has been relatively little conservation attention focused on this narrow endemic, in part due to the relatively recent recognition of its distinctiveness. Schnell & Determann (Castanea 1997) published the new varietal status, thereby bringing needed attention to these unique plants.  


The NC Plant Conservation Program "protects" portions of two of the 8 known populations in the state (although perhaps more populations will become known as the NC Natural Heritage Program is just beginning to keep documentation on this plant for the first time (2014).

One of two protected populations mentioned above has approximately 150 clumps of pitchers and comprises what is thought to be the largest known population in the state. It is unclear why this population is so large compared to others in the region.  We do know that Sarracenia purpurea spreads slowly; Ellison & Parker (American Journal of Botany 2002) documented only a 5 cm median dispersal distance for pitchers in the northeastern US.  Further, Gotelli and Ellison (Ecology 2002) found that Purple Pitchers don't reproduce until individual rosettes reach 10 cm in diameter.  Our Southern Apps variety grows vigorously and flowers profusely in sunny & open habitats, as shown in the following image. In contrast, pitchers subjected to heavy

Mass flowering in an open, sunny, yet constantly moist habitat

shade lose vigor, diminish in size, and cease flowering.  The example shown below displays etiolated leaves typical of shading. This clump is actually smaller than the surrounding Galax foliage and has little chance of flowering or trapping insects. The site where it occurs has been heavily shaded for 20 + years.  It is unclear how long an individual pitcher clump or rosette can survive in dense shade.  Gotelli & Ellison (Ecology 2002) suggest rosettes may persist for 30-50 years, but this longevity is likely to be strongly affected by shading.  In any case, the diminished vigor translates to loss of reproduction, perhaps a significant reason other known populations are much smaller.  

Our large population was almost certainly larger at one time. We have documentation that the pitchers were "once so plentiful they sold for 50 cents a piece".  Even today, pitchers continue to be taken or poached hindering population expansion.  The first image below shows where an entire rosette was taken (depressed area directly in front of the remaining clump). The second image shows a clump partially removed (note the bud forming).  I guess in both cases the losses could have been far worse, eco-conscious poachers?

In spite of the poachers, we have extensively re-opened the site by removing dense shrubs.  Precise demographic data are lacking but we counted 32 flowers in 2012, 94 flowers in 2013, and 114 flowers in 2014. The majority of these flowers seem to be producing seed heads. It has been estimated that Northern Pitchers produce approximately 1000 seeds per head (Gotelli and Ellison, Ecology 2002). Although germination rates may be low, if seed production continues the population could begin to rebound. In fact, on a recent visit Ron Determann pointed out a few true seedlings..... with luck, continued management, patience, and support of our local poaching community the population may continue to rebound!

Purple Mountain Pitcher seed capsule 

Seedling Purple Pitchers

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Blue Ridge Huckleberry (Gaylussacia orocola)

Gaylussacia orocola is narrowly endemic to North Carolina, found in only a couple western counties. Like many other rare plants of the region, it inhabits "mountain bogs" one of the rarest habitat types we have. It is a small deciduous shrub that can grow in association with other heaths like Crackleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) and Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium fuscatum). At the site of these images it grows under a fairly dense shrub layer containing the previously listed species, as well as Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Winterberry (Ilex verticellata), American Holly (Ilex opaca), and a scattering of other woody plants.

Blue Ridge Huckleberry (Gaylussacia orocola) flowering in early June (Transylvania County, NC); adjacent Crackleberries were already in fruit

Blue Ridge Huckleberry (Gaylussacia orocola) flowers and young leaves; note the "stipitate-glandular" hairs


Blue Ridge Huckleberry leaves with "mucronate" tips

Many of the uppermost (sun-exposed) leaves were red-tinged

The conservation status of Blue Ridge Huckleberry is unclear.  Ed Schwartzman told me he thought there are around 10 recorded populations in North Carolina but only 1 may be extant. It's more than a little surprising given the rarity and documented loss of mountain bogs, the extremely limited natural range, and the few known populations that this species is not considered "imperiled" in North Carolina.

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Mountain Sweets - Almost Gone?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     One of the sweetest plants to find in the Southern Appalachians, perhaps, because it is one of the most unexpected, is the trumpet-like pitcher plant known as Sarracenia jonesii. With a natural range centered on Henderson County, NC this carnivorous plant is a relatively narrow endemic just barely ranging into South Carolina. In a region most noted for forests, this pitcher plant inhabits small wetland pockets often referred to as "mountain bogs".  

Range map for Sarracenia jonesii in NC; "extirpated" refers to sites formerly known to support the species but lost for one reason or another, while "extant" refers to naturally occurring populations still present, unless indicated as "extant-introduced" which are sites created by planting in a non-naturally occurring site.

Only three naturally occurring populations remain in North Carolina.

A quick review of the distribution map tells a tale of substantial decline, in which most of the known, naturally occurring sites have been lost.  In 1986, the USFWS listed the plant as endangered.  What happened to cause the decline and create the need for federal listing?

Like many areas of the country, wetlands in this part of NC have not fared well. The first map below portrays the predicted extent of historical wetlands in the heart of the Mountain Sweet range (polygons shaded light blue). The second map illustrates those same wetland areas with the current land use depicted; bright red and yellow colors show heavily altered or otherwise developed areas. A comparison of the two gives a clear illustration that substantial wetland area has either lost or heavily altered.

                                                                                                                                                                              In addition to habitat loss, other Mountain Sweets have been lost due to poaching and over-collection by hobbyists. An example of this phenomenon is the extirpation from the wild of a "green race" of Sarracenia jonesii.   There still appears to be ample pressure collecting pressure on the few remaining native populations.                                                                             

Must we have every species in our gardens?

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