Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 20:52:31 -0500 From: MARK POGANY <MARKP@CRSCMS.COM> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg784$foo@default> Subject: Sarracenia purpurea habitats
In CP digest 1371 Jure wrote:
I read S. purpurea is naturalised in some European countries. I planted
some
plants in the bog here in Slovenia three years ago and it grows and
flowers
well.
I'm interested in its behaviour in other countries where it was
introduced
long ago. Which countries are these? Does it endanger other plants? Does
it
reproduce itself with seeds also? Does it overgrow territories? Does it
expand to other places? Is it the menace?
I still have my plants under control and I'm able to pull them out and
prevent any damage on autochthon plants.
Kind regards
Jure
Welcome to the list Jure!
Here is some info on our local S. purpureas (Northern Ohio, USA, about
latitude 40-41 degrees north):
All the locations here are in what is called "kettle hole" bogs. These
were formed as a result of the retreating glaciers at the end of the
last ice age (25,000-20,000 years ago). These were originally broad
depressions left in the earth that filled with water and decomposing
organic matter. Over thousands of years these inland features evolved
into sphagnum and marl bogs. Several still exist here in Ohio and are
protected from ruthless land development. They harbor rare plants, three
of which are Tamarack trees, Drosera rotundifolia, and Sarracenia
purpurea ssp. purpurea. Farther north in Michigan and Ontario, Canada
these locations also feature Drosera intermedia, linearis, and anglica.
The purpurea plants here have to deal with a harsh climate. In the
winter (not this one, though!) temperatures can get down to -15f on
isolated nights and hover below 32f for a week or two. Snowfall here
averages 30-50 inches annually. The seed pods split open in mid-autumn
but do not germinate until the following spring; on my numerous bog
walks during the winter I've noticed most of the seed still intact on
the pods in January.
Finding S. purpurea in a suitable location here is more the exception
than the rule. Some bogs feature large clumps of purpureas growing amid
sphagnum hummocks while others yield only a few specimens. I really
can't imagine these plants being "invasive", as they will only grow in
the rarefied conditions that exist in these kettle bogs.
One neat thing about bog walking here in the winter is the sight of
large clumps of purpurea sticking out of the snow with deep red
pitchers. they take on this color in late fall and persist throughout
the dark, cold months. New growth in the spring is green with red
venation.
Mark Pogany
Cleveland, Ohio
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:29 PST