Q: About Sarracenia alabamensis, the cane-brake pitcher plant











A: This species is found only in central Alabama, in Autauga and Chilton Counties. It used to occur in Elmore County, but apparently it is now extinct there now. It is found in about twelve sites in these two counties. When I say "about 12", it is not like there is a big uncertainty---every S. alabamensis site is heavily studied and carefully managed by State and Federal agencies as well as by numerous scientific teams. However, there is no uniform agreement among all these players as to whether some of the closely spaced populations should be referred to as a single or separate sites.

The specific epithet "alabamensis" indicates that this plant is "from Alabama".

Sarracenia alabamensis is a tall, mostly green pitcher plant with reddish veins. Plants are often pubescent. The pitcher column is broad and not very tall. Some specimens are very colorful, especially in the fall or when the plants are juveniles. The species looks much like Sarracenia alata, but the flowers of S. alabamensis are bright reddish-purple and scented like raspberries, while the flowers of S. alata are pale and unscented.

The flowers of S. alabamensis are essentially identical to those of S. rubra subsp. rubra, and therein rages a controversy. Some botanists think it makes better sense to call this plant S. rubra subsp. alabamensis, but I think that this plant is so different from the diminutive S. rubra subsp. rubra that it is best considered a separate species. (But remember that a few pages ago I reminded you that my opinion does not necessarily carry a lot of weight.) If you are really interested in this kind of discussion, take a look at my comments on S. rubra and S. jonesii, since they are involved in the controversy. For your interest, here are the opinions of a few famous botanists regarding this debate:

Fred and Roberta Case (1976)---considered this a separate species.
Sidney McDaniel (1971)---did not think this merited any kind of name.
Don Schnell (2002a)---maintained this as a subspecies of S. rubra.

Not only do I treat this plant as a separate species, I believe that what is commonly called S. rubra subsp. wherryi, should actually be treated as S. alabamensis subsp. wherryi.

Unless you are working as a conservationist, botanist, or ecologist, it is unlikely you will be able to see these plants in the wild. Sites have so often been poached by horticulturists that conservationists have stopped telling people how to visit them. Essentially, hobbyists have demonstrated that they (or at least some of them) are not to be trusted. This is really unfortunate. I have had the pleasure of visiting six sites, but in these cases I was led there by the site owners or managers. If you visit S. alabamensis sites and do not have permission from the landowners, you are trespassing. Trespassers can be attacked by farm dogs, get shot at, or get arrested. I am not joking.

It is often difficult to obtain specimens of this plant, because the species is protected by Federal and International conservation laws. The plant is listed as "Endangered" on the US Endangered Species Act. This means there are restrictions to selling the plant across state lines in the USA. See the FAQ information on restrictions from the Endangered Species Act. Sarracenia alabamensis is also listed on Appendix I of the CITES appendix. This means there are major restrictions on international trade of the plant. Read about these here.

Since there are so many hurdles in obtaining these plants legally, in 2003 the International Carnivorous Plant Society distributed seedlings from three sources, with permits from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, in an attempt to decrease poaching interest. More about the sites they came from can be learned here.

Page citations: Case, F.W., and Case, R.B. 1974, 1976; CITES, 1992; Determann, R. 2000, private communication; McDaniel, S. 1971; Murdock, N. 2000, private communication; Rice, B.A. 2001a, 2003a, 2006a; Schnell, D.E. 2002a; US Fish & Wildlife Service, 1973; personal observations.