Field Trip - S. alabamensis ssp wheryii / S. rubra ssp wheryii

June 29th, 2009

It had been 3 years since I had a chance to travel to the gulf coast.  Although I really wanted to get out to see some plant populations, for the most part I really needed to use the opportunity to relax.  To make relaxing even more appealing than plant hunting, the week we were at the gulf was extraordinarily hot, with temps over 100F.  In fact, it was 102F when we passed into Mobile, Alabama on our way there. 

I did decide to video document some of the last remaining coastal Baldwin County, Alabama S. leucophylla stands, since they were within minutes of our condo and would likely be gone before I returned again.  The Sarracenia populations of S. leucophylla, S. rosea, and S. psittacina which remain south of the inter-coastal waterway has undergone extreme hydrology stresses, with much of the surrounding areas being drained for development.  I'll try to post a couple of videos of  two locations I was able to travel to this past week.   Again, these are very stressed locations, so don't expect to see a field of Sarracenia, although one location had some S. leucophylla pitchers that exceeded 43" in length.

I was able to video and photograph a stand of S. alabamansis ssp wherryi on the trip back home.  Unfortunately, it was both extremely bright AND windy, which made it impossible to get any really great shots.  I also have a video of this location which may turn out better.

Below: S. alabamensis ssp  wherryi in Washington County, Alabama.  The flowers of this subspecies typically are as tall to slightly taller than the pitchers.  Most of the pitchers at this location were 6"- 8" on mature flowering plants.  The pitchers are quite stocky.

Below: Due to the intensity and open location of this area, some of the plants were nearly a complete burgundy red coloration.

Growing amidst the S. alabamensis ssp wherryi was S. psittacina.    Notice how the S. psittacina flower towers over the shorter S. alabamensis wherryi flowers.

Below:  A very nice sized S. psittacina with well decently developed hoods.  The plant was about a foot across in diameter. You can also see some greener S. alabamensis ssp wherryi to the left. 

S. leucophylla was also present in an adjacent location which was wetter.  If an area of extremely wet and slightly drier areas co-exists, the both wherryi and leucophylla can grow nearly side by side, each plant remaining in its appropriate area.  In those locations, you can also see some hybrid swarms between the two species.  Hybrids of these plants, just like hybrids between S. leucophylla and S. alata just to the south, are typically are restricted  to the transitional areas between the two habitats of wet and drier areas between the parent species.    

Also found at this location were a typical and long-armed form of D. capillaris, as well as D. brevifola.

I'll update the page with the video as soon as I get it completed.