Purple pitcherplant traps insects in squat, water-holding pitchers veined in red, then nods out a single deep-maroon flower on a tall stalk each spring. It is one of the signature plants of North Carolina’s imperiled bog and seepage habitats.
Where it grows in North Carolina
Sunny, permanently wet, nutrient-poor ground in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills — pocosin edges, hillside seeps, and pine savannas. These bog habitats are globally rare and shrinking, which makes conservation of remaining sites a priority.
Wildlife value
The spring flowers are pollinated chiefly by bees. The pitchers themselves host a specialized community of insects that live in the trapped water.
In the garden
Strictly for bog gardens and containers with no drainage, in pure sphagnum or a sand-peat mix, watered only with rain or distilled water. Never use tap water or fertilizer.