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Plant Profile

Mountain Sweet Pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii)

Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii pitchers Photo Credit: Johnny Randall

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Sarraceniaceae
State: NC, SC
Nature Serve ID: 154007
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Categories of Interest: Carnivorous Plants
Date Inducted in National Collection: 04/04/1991

Description:

Of the 16 historical populations of Mountain Sweet Pitcher-plant, only 10 surviving today. This southern Appalachian endemic continues to face danger from development and the changes it brings to natural communities. Many of the vanished populations were lost as a result of the destruction of their bogs due to changes in hydrology. The channelization of streams, which often precedes development or the conversion of forested land to agriculture, caused the bogs that once supported pitcherplant populations to dry out. This species produces showy maroon flowers from April to June and exhibits green pitchers throughout the growing season. Reproduction occurs by seed and fragmentation of rhizomes (Massey et al. 1983; Wood 1960).

Where is Mountain Sweet Pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Mountain bogs and streamsides (USFWS 1990a)

Distribution:

The Blue Ridge Mountains of North and South Carolina (USFWS 1990a)

States & Provinces:

Mountain Sweet Pitcherplant can be found in North Carolina, South Carolina

Which CPC Partners conserve Mountain Sweet Pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii)?

North Carolina Botanical Garden

Conservation Actions

09/27/2020

In addition to on site management, seeds have been collected and given to NCBG with the expectation that at some point outplanting propagated specimens will occur into suitable habitat.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to a few mountain bogs in southwest North Carolina and northwest South Carolina on both sides of the Blue Ridge. Drainage, impoundment, intensive grazing, and development have eliminated the species from 62% of the sites where it was known to occur. Surviving populations continue to be threatened by bog destruction. The species may be especially vulnerable to hydrological disruptions that dry out the soil or otherwise alter the natural hydrologic dynamics of the bogs. Other threats include fertilizer run-off from lawns and farms, which alters the nutrient cycling processes in the bogs and may hasten forest succession, and collection by amateur and professional botanists and horticulturists.

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

Of the 10 extant populations of Sarracenia jonesii, only two are on public land and of those only one is well protected. The remaining eight are on private land and are especially threatened by land use change and succession (USFWS 1990a). Hydrologi

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

There are 10 populations remaining, all within North and South Carolina. Four of these populations are in the river drainage of the French Broad River in Henderson County and Transylvania County, NC. Five are in the Saluda River drainage in Greenville County, SC. The last is in the Enoree River drainage, also in Greenville County, SC. (USFWS 1990a)

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

Benjamin and Sutter (1993) studied populations of Sarracenia jonesii and recommended management strategies. Their work includes population demographics, the effect of woody plant removal, and the comparison of water and nutrient levels within the bogs both among and apart from pitcher plant populations. They have observed increases in the pitcher and flower number following woody plant removal. Nutrient levels do not vary between bog sites with and without pitcher-plants, but water levels do.

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

Management of Sarracenia jonesii is ongoing at a mostly experimental level. This research (described above in the Current Research Summary) will inform management decisions. In addition to on site management, seeds have been collected and given to NCBG with the expectation that at some point outplanting propagated specimens will occur into suitable habitat. Additionally, plants have been rescued from a badly degraded site owned by a hostile landowner. These specimens were taken to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for propagation (Benjamin and Sutter 1993).

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

It is refreshing to see that management decisions will be based on sound research in the case of Sarracenia jonesii However, it will be important to work with private landowners to increase the security of the remaining sites and to insure that management activities can occur.

Johnny Randall

01/01/2010

Needs are currently being met at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. However, it is worth noting that there is some concern that due to the small number of extant populations and small population sizes care be taken to preserve all of the genetic variation present (USFWS 1990a).