Visit to a new Nature Conservancy site in Pender County, NC – Part 2 – Carnivors and other wildflowers in McLean Savannah — 2015-05-22

No visit to McLean Savannah (Pender County, North Carolina) would be complete without describing all of the various carnivorous plants that grow there in abundance. the most prevalent genus is Sarracenia or Pitcher Plants. There are two main species that we saw and one hybrid. The main species are Sarracenia flava or Yellow Pitcher Plant (I counted at least 5 possible varieties which I will describe later) and Sarracenia purpurea subspecies venosa or Southern Purple Pitcher Plant. The hybrid is a natural cross between one of the varieties of Sarracenia flava and Sarracenia purpurea subspecies venosa. It is known as Sarracenia Xcatesbaei or Catesby’s Hybrid Pitcher Plant.

Before I get into the deep weeds of species and variety identification, I have to let you know that not only is there much heated discussion concerning what is a species and what is a subspecies, but also just what constitutes a variety. Also, there is the problem of whether the hybrid is a first generation hybrid or the product of eons of back-crosses. I do not even pretend to know the answers to these questions, but I will attempt to give my version of the understanding, albeit an academically uneducated one.

However, here is a shot of the overall look of McLean Savannah, showing the large number of pitcher plants on the property:

McLean Savannah, Pender County, North Carolina

There were large numbers of Pitcher Plants of many color forms or varieties. I tried to concentrate on the ones that I thought were the best of the bunch, including Sarracenia flava var. ornata or Ornate Yellow Pitcher Plant.

Botanical discussion here for the botany geeks: There is a great deal of discussion about whether this “variety” is a true variety or just a mutant color form of the common Sarracenia flava var. flava or Yellow Pitcher Plant, that is, one with more exaggerated veining. Some think it should be a “forma” rather than a “variety”. I really don’t have a dog in this fight, I’ll just call it what most people call it and let it end the discussion. Chime in via the comment section of this blog entry if you do have a dog in this fight and want to air your views…

BTW, according to the European Patent Office, the legal term, “variety” is defined as any plant grouping within a single botanical taxon of the lowest known rank, which grouping, irrespective of whether the conditions for the grant of a plant variety are fully met, can be:

(a) defined by the expression of the characteristics that results from a given genotype or combination of genotypes,

(b) distinguished from any other plant grouping by the expression of at least one of the said characteristics, and

(c) considered as a unit with regard to its suitability for being propagated unchanged

In botany, it is a term below species level that is frequently substituted for “forma”. ‘Nuf said.

Here are some images of Sarracenia flava var. ornata:

As a reminder, here is what the “normal”, Sarracenia flava var. flava or Yellow Pitcher Plant looks like. Note the modest veining:

Here is another group of typical Sarracenia flava var. flava with modest markings on the hood and pitcher:

Another variety that we found in large numbers is one called Sarracenia flava var. maxima. This varietal name is misleading in the sense that nothing about the plant is larger than the typical Sarracenia flava var. flava. The defining characteristic is that it has no colored veining or splotches on the pitcher — it’s basically pure yellow-green:

There is also another fairly common variety called Sarracenia flava var. cuprea or Copper-top Pitcher Plant. It gets even messier if you include the ornate form of the Copper-top Pitcher Plant. I call it Sarracenia flava var. ornata-cuprea. I know that I just sent taxonomists spinning in their respective graves, but it is descriptive. Below left is Copper-top Pitcher Plant, and below right is Ornate Copper-top Pitcher Plant.

The other species that we found in McLean Savannah is Sarracenia purpurea subspecies venosa or Southern Purple Pitcher Plant. This subspecies is found only along the Atlantic Coastal Plain states, and is very similar to the species found in northern North America, including Canada. It is a plant with very squatty pitchers, seldom reaching 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) tall. Many of these pitchers will have bright red veining or are entirely red, especially when mature at the end of the summer. Here is an image of a deep red Southern Purple Pitcher Plant:

Perhaps, you can well imagine that this particular species might easily donate some genes of color to any hybrid which it is genetically a part of. Well, that is the case for many of the hybrid forms that we saw in the savannah. As I mentioned previously, the natural hybrid cross between any Sarracenia flava species and Sarracenia purpurea subspecies venosa is called, Sarracenia Xcatesbaei or Catesby’s Hybrid Pitcher Plant. Please keep in mind that what I’m about to show you may be the first generation cross of these two species or it may be a multi-generation cross (back and forth between the species). I cannot tell just by looking at them. The appearance of the pitchers of this hybrid varies widely as to shape and color form. This may be attributed to which species was the female receiver and which species was the male donor. To me, this confusion makes the plants that much more interesting…

Here are a few of the many Catesby’s Hybrid Pitcher Plants that we saw in McLean Savannah:

There were a few additional carnivorous plant species that were quite evident. One of these is Drosera intermedia or Spoonleaf Sundew. It catches insects on its sticky tentacles. The plants generally are several inches tall, although I have seen them as tall as 6 inches (15 cm). We found them to be abundant next to standing water. Perhaps they like mosquitoes:

Of course, to some, the prize of carnivorous plants on the savannah are the Dionaea muscipula or Venus’ Fly-traps. Some of the ones we saw were the largest I’ve ever seen, with traps up to 2 inches (5 cm) long! Just imagine the large insects one like that could catch. We found several locations where they grew in dense patches:

We even found one with vivid red traps:

Another rare plant we found in great abundance was Asclepias longifolia or Longleaf Milkweed. Again, I’ve never seen so many in one place. In previous years, I’ve been thrilled to find one or two plants in a large area, but I’ll be willing to state that we saw hundreds of plants, just in the small portion of the savannah that we sampled:

We also found an orchid species (I know that this one should have been included in Part 1, but I overlooked it) Pogonia ophioglosoides or Rose Pogonia orchid. In other situations, I’ve seen this dainty little orchid appear in the many hundreds, but on this visit, we found only a handful of scattered plants. Several of them produced two flowers, which is not uncommon for this species:

In low-lying depressions and along ditches, we saw quite a few of the pretty, purple Iris species known as Iris tridentata or Savannah Iris. The color of the flowers we saw varied from a very light blue to dark purple. Here are two of the dark purple ones:

One easily recognizable flower we saw stood out in the savannah with its bright white flowers. Actually, it is not the flowers that stand out so much as the ring of white bracts surrounding the tiny flowers in the center of the swirl of bracts. This species is Rhynchospora latifolia or White-top Sedge, also known as White-bracted Sedge.

Here is Eleanor walking among a large population of White-top Sedge and Yellow Pitcher Plants:

There were many, many spikes of a white-flowered plant that at first glance looks like a Spiranthes species or Ladies’-tresses orchid. Many times, I’ve stopped along the highway when these white flowers caught my eye to find out they were Aletris farinosa or Colic Root. An additional plant in great abundance in the savannah was Stenanthium densum or Osceola’s Plume also known as Dense-flowered Camas and Crow Poison. Lots of common names for this species. It’s 3-foot tall (1 meter) white plumes swaying in the breeze certainly make a statement in a field of green grasses and green pitcher plants. Below left, the flowers of Colic Root and below right, the flowers of Osceola’s Plume:

Finally, we saw a couple of very colorful plants growing along the edge of the woods. Below left, is Polygala lutea or Orange Milkwort. Below right, is Scutellaria integrifolia or Helmet Flower:

We even saw some wildlife that held still enough for us to photograph. Here is the image of Terrapene carolina Carolina or Eastern Box Turtle biding his her time after finishing a meal, probably of orchid flowers. 😉

I will leave you with a couple more pictures of the Pitcher Plants on McLean Savannah. The first is an image of Walter Ezell photographing some Pale Grass-pink orchids with a background of Yellow Pitcher Plants. The last image is one of a large group of mixed species of Sarracenia flava or Yellow Pitcher Plants:

What else is left to say about our experience and adventure at McLean Savannah. I have to thank Angie Carl, Fire Specialist and Land Steward for the TNC’s North Carolina Coastal Plain area, for allowing us a glimpse into their on-going work in this part of North Carolina. Their efforts to preserve and restore these “lost” sections of former longleaf pine holdings are a testament to the resourcefulness and determination of The Nature Conservancy. Your donations will definitely go to a worthy cause. I won’t likely forget our trip for a long time. And, I have my images to remind me of this special time along the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

–Jim