FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello. As you can see by the title, I have just purchased a sarracenia purpea. Is there any rules/knowledge I should know about this plant that dosen't apply to sarracenia leucophylla? Like for example, are the hoods supposed to collect rainwater or not? Thanks in advance

Purps collect rainwater to help digest insects. Purps are very diffrent from most sarrs, because they need rainwater in their pitchers to digest their food. I have found that purps and all their ssp. are much easier to grow than tall sarrs.

Nepenthes0260 wrote:Purps collect rainwater to help digest insects. Purps are very diffrent from most sarrs, because they need rainwater in their pitchers to digest their food. I have found that purps and all their ssp. are much easier to grow than tall sarrs.

how does it digest things? I've read some places the rainwater helps with making enzymes and others saying it has a mouth like thing at the bottom which dissolves insects

Yeah, it's a contorversial topic on if purps digest their own food or are aided by microorganisims and/or rainwater. My opinion, since purp pitchers live WAY longer than other sarrs (2-3 years), the first six months to a year that they're open they digest on their own. After that, microorganisims aid in the digestion.

They don't make enzymes, the water in the pitcher assists in the rotting of the prey and turns into a 'soup' which the plant absorbs through the leaf like a foliar feed. And yes, in general, plants with no operculum over the trap have evolved to catch rainwater for breaking down the prey and need some water in the trap, (although it doesn't matter if they dry out) other species with lids covering the pitchers make their own digestive juices and the lid prevents the ingress of water so it doesn't dilute the digestive juices. Again, generally, taller pitchers dont need water in them (otherwise they would fall over with a bit of a breeze)
Other than that Purpurea are bulletproof, if you have leucophylla you will have no problem with Purpurea
Cheers
Steve

steve booth wrote:They don't make enzymes, the water in the pitcher assists in the rotting of the prey and turns into a 'soup' which the plant absorbs through the leaf like a foliar feed. And yes, in general, plants with no operculum over the trap have evolved to catch rainwater for breaking down the prey and need some water in the trap, (although it doesn't matter if they dry out) other species with lids covering the pitchers make their own digestive juices and the lid prevents the ingress of water so it doesn't dilute the digestive juices. Again, generally, taller pitchers dont need water in them (otherwise they would fall over with a bit of a breeze)
Other than that Purpurea are bulletproof, if you have leucophylla you will have no problem with Purpurea
Cheers
Steve

thankyou