Seaside Arrowgrass vs Purple Pitcher Plant - TreeTime.ca

Seaside Arrowgrass vs Purple Pitcher Plant

Triglochin maritima

Sarracenia purpurea

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Seaside Arrowgrass
Purple Pitcher Plant

Seaside Arrowgrass is a native perennial commonly found in wetlands, salt marshes, and moist meadows. It is especially suitable for difficult growing sites. Its dense root system helps stabilize soil, while also providing food, cover, and habitat for small animals within the wetland community.

Seaside Arrowgrass is suitable for shoreline stabilization, wetland restoration, and naturalization projects.

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.

Seaside Arrowgrass Quick Facts

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 2b
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes-low, seeds-low
Spreading: rhizomes - medium

Toxicity: can be toxic to humans and livestock

Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Flowers: very small, pinkish-white, hair like
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


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