The Carnivorous Plant FAQ Field Trip Report -

Explorations in the Borderlands, 2002

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Another species:
I arrived at this last site late in the day. It was again along a powerline right-of-way.

According to the literature, Virginia plants are classified as the southern subspecies, Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa. The northern subspecies (Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea) only occurs as far south as New Jersey. Nonetheless, the plants at this location had characters similar to both subspecies. For example, this plant had the frilly hood of the southern subspecies. However, the hood was smaller than those of plants along the Carolina coasts, but larger than in plants I have seen from the Great Lakes areas. The outer surface was slightly, but not particularly fuzzy. Altogether, I would indeed classify them as from the southern subspecies, but I had my reservations. Did the influence of Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea get down this far? Or did someone transplant New Jersey plants here?

Alas, the sun was setting, so I had to leave to head north. I had hoped to drop in on some other Virginia carnivorous plant folks, but had poorly estimated the time. So I jumped back in my car, drank three quarts of Gatorade, and drove north to D.C. I was amazed at how filthy the rental car was! I would have to complain to the rental agency. How dare they rent me such an atrocity!

The next two days were spent in dreary meetings. I'll skip them (I doubt you're interested), and proceed directly to the New Jersey trip.

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Revised: October 2007
©Barry Rice, 2005