Purple Pitcher Plant vs Yellow Hedysarum - TreeTime.ca

Purple Pitcher Plant vs Yellow Hedysarum

Sarracenia purpurea

Hedysarum sulphurescens

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Purple Pitcher Plant
Yellow Hedysarum

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.

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognised for its clusters of bright yellow pea-like blooms. It adds colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods. It is also a nitrogen fixer, which helps improve soil fertility. Because of its deep root system, it contributes to slope and soil stabilisation.

The plant provides forage for wildlife and cover for small animals, especially its roots. Its flowers attract pollinators such as bees.

Yellow Hedysarum plays an important role in prairie and foothill ecosystems. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, naturalisation, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2b
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Growth form: ascending to upright
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Spreading: seeds - low


Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Bloom time: summer
Bloom time: late spring to 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
Other Names: huntsmans cup, northern pitcher plant
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch