Hooded Pitcherplant

hooded pitcher-plant

Hooded pitcher-plant is state-listed as threatened in Florida [16].

More info for the term: forb

Hooded pitcher-plant is a native, perennial, carnivorous forb. The
hollow-shaped leaves form pitchers which have an overarching,
helmet-shaped hood [7,11]. The leaves average 9.8 to 11.8 inches (25-30
cm) in length but may reach 31.5 inches (80 cm) in certain areas.
Rhizomes are 0.4 to 0.8 inch (1-2 cm) thick. The flower is odorless and
has pale yellow to yellow-green petals [13]. Fruits are broad and
tuberculate, from 0.2 to 0.6 inch (0.8-1.8 cm) long. Seeds are very
small, averaging 0.04 inch (1.1-1.3 mm) in length. Distinguishing
characteristics are the translucent spots on the leaves, and the concave
hood [11].

Hooded pitcher-plant's range extends from central and western Florida
north to southeast North Carolina, and inland from North Carolina to
northeastern Georgia. This is the only Sarracenia species extending
into the Florida Peninsula [11,13].

More info for the term: fire regime

Fire generally benefits hooded pitcher-plant. Periodic, moderate fires
are necessary to reduce the encroachment of competing plants and
stimulate growth by releasing nutrients bound up in organic matter [5].

Hooded pitcher-plant survives fire by resprouting from rhizomes [11].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: fire tolerant, natural

Fire suppression results in a build-up of fuels, causing severe fires
which damage species normally considered to be fire tolerant, such as
hooded pitcher-plant. Fire is a natural event in carnivorous plant
habitats and should be implemented in management plans [4].

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More info for the term: geophyte

Undisturbed State: Cryptophyte (geophyte)
Burned or Clipped State: Cryptophyte (geophyte)

More info for the terms: mesic, swamp

Hooded pitcher-plant has wider ecological amplitude than other
Sarracenia species, and grows on both wet and dry sites. It inhabits
mesic to well-drained upland savannas, wet flatwoods, and bogs [4,13].
Hooded pitcher-plants reach their largest size in the very wet habitat
of the Okefenokee swamp, where they grow intermixed with S. psittacina
on huge floating sphagnum islands called prairies. The plants are
hardier in wet substrates, indicating the drier locations are probably
not preferred [13].

Along the Gulf Coast, Sarracenia species are often associated with
Sphagnum, sundew (Drosera spp.), butterwort (Pinguicula spp.), pipewort
(Eriocaulon spp.), bladderwort (Utricularia spp.), grass-pink (Calopogon
spp.), burmannia (Burmannia spp.), and other genera characteristic of
acidic sites [11].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: swamp

70 Longleaf pine
75 Shortleaf pine
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
84 Slash pine
97 Atlantic white-cedar
98 Pond pine
101 Baldcypress
102 Baldcypress - tupelo
103 Water tupelo - swamp tupelo
104 Sweetbay - swamp tupelo - redbay

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES41 Wet grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K079 Palmetto prairie
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
K114 Pocosin

More info for the term: peat

Hooded pitcher-plant is usually top-killed by fire. Severe fires may
burn into the peat layer and also destroy the rhizomes, thereby killing
the plant [11,13].

A symbiotic relationship exists between hooded pitcher-plant and several
insect species, such as ants, moths, flies, butterflies, and wasps.
Insects benefit by obtaining nectar, and the plant benefits from an
occasional insect falling into the pitcher while feeding [14]. Another
capture mechanism is the clear to whitish areas on the back of the
pitcher, which provide the brightest light source inside the pitcher.
Flying insects unsuccessfully attempt to escape through these areas
[13,14]. In Florida, hooded pitcher-plant captures mainly ants, which
are often more abundant than other insects in the drier savannas where
it grows [5,13].

More info for the term: forb

Forb

FL GA NC SC

Their unique beauty and unusual mode of life make hooded pitcher-plants
desirable as houseplants [8]. Collection of wild species has sometimes
resulted in localized extinction. Almost all Sarracenia species can be
obtained commercially. A number of dealers specialize almost
exclusively in carnivorous plants [4].

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Hooded pitcher-plant flowers along the Gulf Coast from late March to
mid-May, blooming later in the northern range [11,13]. This is the only
species in which flowering commonly occurs simultaneously with or
slightly after pitcher growth. Pitchers persist all winter in sheltered
stands in the southernmost range, but die back during severe winters
[13].

More info for the term: density

The genus Sarracenia is well adapted to moderate fires which remove old
growth, destroy competing vegetation, and help induce flowering.
Density of hooded pitcher-plant increased greatly following 27 years of
annual burning in Georgia [11].

survivor species; on-site surviving rhizomes

Reproduction is typically by seeds, but plants may regenerate
vegetatively from fragmentation of the rhizomes. Bees, the main
pollinators, are polytropic; however, during the peak of Sarracenia
flowering, bees are effectively monotropic on sites where there are
large stands of flowers, visiting only Sarracenia species [5]. Bare
ground is vital for seedling establishment [7].

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More info for the term: succession

Plant succession on pitcher-plant bogs is toward a sedge-woody species
dominated community. Fire, however, retards this succession, and
pitcher-plant bogs are thought to be fire disclimaxes [2].

The currently accepted scientific name for hooded pitcher-plant is
Sarracenia minor Walt. Hybridization between various species of
Sarracenia has been observed from southeastern Virginia to Mississippi.
Populations of S. alata apparently do not overlap with S. flava or S.
minor, but hybrids have been produced under greenhouse conditions [11].
Naturally occurring hybrids include:

S. minor X S. psittacina = S. formosa
S. minor X S. purpurea = S. swaniana
S. minor X S. rubra = S. X rehedri
S. minor X S. flava = S. X harperi