Yellow Trumpet, Yellow pitcherplant, Huntsman's Horn, Yellow Trumpet, Trumpets, Yellow Pitcher Plan
Sarracenia flava
Family: Sarraceniaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Sarracenia flava is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers wet soil.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
Wet pinelands and bogs.
South-eastern N. America - Virginia and North Carolina to Florida and Louisiana.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The root and leaves are hepatic. They are used in the treatment of dyspepsia, constipation, liver and kidney complaints.
Hepatic: Acts on the liver (for better or worse!).
Kidney: Used in the treatment of kidney diseases
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Container, Specimen, Woodland garden. Grow in sun or partial shade in peat or moss. An insectivorous plant, it is best grown in a boggy position and prefers a soil low in nitrogen. Plants require continuously moist conditions in a loose compost of sphagnum peat, live sphagnum and coarse acid sand. They can be grown successfully in a plastic basin or in a pot that is standing in a deep saucer of water. Plants are not hardy in Britain, requiring a minimum temperature of 5°c. This conflicts with the hardiness rating of 7 (temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c) given in . Plants can tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c. A polymorphic species, it is becoming very rare in the wild and is on the CITES II list of endangered species. Special Features: Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no information for this species but would suggest sowing the seed in light shade in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if possible otherwise in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Division might be possible.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Wet