Echinacea vs Purple Pitcher Plant - TreeTime.ca

Echinacea vs Purple Pitcher Plant

Sarracenia purpurea

Echinacea angustifolia

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Purple Pitcher Plant
Echinacea

Purple Pitcher Plant is a native carnivorous plant, easily recognized by its purple-tinged, tubular pitchers that capture and digest insects. The nectar along the rim attracts insects to the pitcher, where slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs cause them to fall into the fluid below. Once inside, they are broken down, providing nutrients that allow the plant to thrive in nutrient-poor soils.
The plant produces nodding, purple-red flowers held high above the leaves. Interestingly, these blooms are pollinated by the Pitcher Plant Fly (Fletcherimyia fletcheri), whose larvae live in the fluid of the pitchers and feed on some of the trapped insects. It can be found in bogs, fens, and other wetlands. It is well-suited for wetland gardens, restoration, and naturalisation projects.
The Purple Pitcher Plant can be challenging to grow because of its specific requirements. It thrives in consistently moist (but not waterlogged), acidic soil, with a peat-and-sand mix typically recommended. The plant is sensitive to fertilizers, dissolved salts, and chlorinated water. When given the right conditions, full sun will bring out its brightest colors.
The Purple Pitcher Plant is the provincial flower of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Echinacea is a unique flowering plant. The tall stalks topped with badminton-birdie-like flowers make this plant a distinctive addition to any garden or yard.

Echinacea this drought tolerant and will attract bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Echinacea Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Suckering: none


Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Flowers: purple flowers
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NT, NU, PE
Native to: SK, MB
Other Names: huntsmans cup, northern pitcher plant