Purple Pitcher Plant vs Twinflower - TreeTime.ca

Purple Pitcher Plant vs Twinflower

Sarracenia purpurea

Linnaea borealis

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Purple Pitcher Plant
Twinflower

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.

Twinflower is a native, trailing evergreen ground cover known for its delicate flowers that grow in nodding pairs. These pale pink blooms are described as being sweetly fragrant, attracting native bees and other pollinators.
Growing in cool, moist, acidic soils, the trailing stems form roots as they spread and start to form mats across the forest floor. Due to its woody stem, it is technically classified as a shrub and often referred to as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. This species is well-suited for naturalization, restoration, and conservation projects.
Twinflower (Linneae borealis) was named in honour of Carl Linnaeus, who adopted it as his personal emblem.

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Twinflower Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Growth form: creeping or trailing, ground cover
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low


Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Fall colour: reddish tinge
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Flowers: Pink, bell-shaped, fragrant pairs
Bloom time: summer
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: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: huntsmans cup, northern pitcher plant
Other Names: northern twinflower, pink bells