Sarracenia leucophylla Family: Sarraceniaceae Common Name(s): pitcher plant Grown by: Ellen Frank, Martinez This is a plant similiar to ones that were seen by the Cal Hort members who took the North Carolina field trip. This species grows a little farther south from Georgia to Florida. It has leaves (pitchers) which can get to four feet tall. The tips become almost white with with red veins. The flowers appear in the spring before the pitchers and can be four inches across. It is quite a showy plant and it just the last few years has become available at a lot of commercial outlets. It is easy to grow if you plant it in half spagnum and half sand, and then stand it in a saucer of pure water. San Francisco water is apparently mineral free enough to work, although distilled water is usually recommended. They need full sun and are quite hardy to freezes since they are winter deciduous. They should not be fertilized as they get their nutrition form dissolvlng insects unlucky enough to slip into their traps. Photo by Steve Morse