Sarracenia rosea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarracenia rosea |
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| Sarracenia rosea from Florida | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sarracenia
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| Species: |
rosea
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| Forms | |
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S. rosea f. luteola |
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| Synonyms | |
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S. purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii |
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Sarracenia rosea is a special kind of pitcher plant. It belongs to the Sarracenia family and is sometimes called Burk's southern pitcher plant. These plants are known for their unique pitcher-shaped leaves that trap insects.
This plant used to be considered a type of S. purpurea, specifically a variety called burkii. But in 1999, scientists suggested it was different enough to be its own species. They noticed three main things:
- S. rosea has bigger flowers on shorter stems.
- Its petals are light pink, which is very unusual for pitcher plants.
- Its pitcher leaves look a bit different from S. purpurea.
There's even a special form of Sarracenia rosea called Sarracenia rosea f. luteola. This form doesn't have the usual red or purple colors because it lacks anthocyanins, which are the pigments that give plants those colors.
Sarracenia rosea grows naturally along the Gulf Coast in the Southeastern United States. You can find it from Mississippi all the way to Georgia. Sadly, the places where these plants grow are being developed, which means their natural homes are shrinking. However, S. rosea can also grow in ditches along highways. It can handle more shade than other pitcher plants, which helps it survive in different places.
Discovering Sarracenia rosea
The story of Sarracenia rosea began in 1933. An American botanist named Edgar T. Wherry first noticed it. He thought it was a "mutant" or different form of S. purpurea. He based this on plants collected in 1910 near Theodore, Alabama, and his own collections from 1932.
These plants were special because they had rose-pink petals and a nearly white style. The style is part of the flower. Most S. purpurea plants have deep maroon petals and a green style.
Wherry sent some of these plants to Louis Burk, a plant expert in Philadelphia. Burk grew them in his greenhouse and agreed with Wherry's observations. Wherry wanted to name the new variety after Burk, but he never officially published the name.
Becoming a New Species
Later, in 1993, another American botanist, Donald E. Schnell, officially described this plant. He named it S. purpurea var. burkii to honor Louis Burk, just as Wherry had suggested years before. Schnell placed it as a variety under S. purpurea subsp. venosa.
However, in 1999, botanists Robert Naczi, Frederick Case, and Roberta Case decided to look closer. They studied the plants very carefully and found important differences. They looked at things like:
- The height of the flower stalk (called a scape).
- The size of the petals.
- The thickness of the pitcher's "lip."
- The overall shape of the pitcher leaves.
All these differences, plus the fact that S. rosea grows in its own separate area away from S. purpurea, convinced them. They believed these pink-petaled plants from the Gulf Coast were unique enough to be their own species. So, they officially named it Sarracenia rosea. They chose the name rosea because it means "rose-colored," referring to the plant's beautiful pink flowers.
See also
In Spanish: Sarracenia rosea para niños
