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I remember being in college and having a conversation with a fellow CP expert. He saw how "addicted" I was to Sarracenias, and he said that eventually, I'll probably get bored of them, and then move on and focus on something else. As the years went by, I always reflected on that conversation and thought, how can you get bored of Sarracenias? Within one species, there's as much diversity out there as you can imagine (sadly, there used to be even more than that until most of it was destroyed in the wild).

The photos below really demonstrate why many of us will be hooked on pitcher plants till the day we die. There isn't just one S. leucophylla alba out there, but there are hundreds of thousands of individuals, and just like humans, each individual is special and unique. Even regular leucophyllas out there are bright white. Let's say that theoretically, one becomes bored because they've seen and grown 1000's of different clones of every species and variety. Well, then there's the path to hybridization,which probably takes at least 2-3 lifetimes to really explore the endless possibilities. In other words, a lifetime isn't enough time to really experience Sarracenias!

all photos below were taken 9/10/13 in northern Baldwin Co, AL:

S. leucophylla var. alba-check out how white the interior of the trap is:

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Another S. leucophylla var. alba, this time with nice red "netting" on the outside:

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A regular S. leucophylla with heavy "veining." S. leucophylla var. ornata? Shhhh, don't tell Stewart McPherson, hehe Just kidding:

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Love how the petiole or trap is skiny on the bottom and fat/symmetical at the top:

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Same clone, but view of the back. Look at how white this clone is!

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S. leucophylla var. (maybe alba?):

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A standard looking clump:

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Mildly pink lip-this clone will probably turn darker pink in the next few months:

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S. leucophylla var. alba-can you see how no one "var. alba" looks exactly the same?

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A shapely reddish-pink clone. These red and pink pigments probably come from historic interbreeding with S. rosea and/or S. "alabamensis" ssp. wherryi:

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Lots of white on this clone, with a beautiful contrasting red at the bottom. Nature is a work of art:

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Same clone, slightly different angle:

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Edited by meizwang
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S. leucophylla var. alba. Snow white in the interior...this is what I call perfection!

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Some battle wounds:

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Another pink clone:

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An impressive dark pink clone:

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This one was pretty big:

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pink lips:

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Another huge trap:

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Look at the red on this one!

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Same clone:

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And another S. leucophylla var. alba. Every clone is slightly different:

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The number of winners in this field were endless:

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Same clone, side view:

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Even the developing pitchers were amazing:

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S. leucophylla var. alba. Check it out! A S. leucophylla 'hurricane creek white imposter" in the background!

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Edited by meizwang
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some more photos!

Axel Bostrom of California Carnivores in front of a huge pitcher:

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Damon Collinsworth of California Carnivores in front of the giant S. lecophylla:

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Here's me (Mike Wang) in situ with gallons of insect spray on my shirt (I think insects in the south prefer chinese food, haha):

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A really bizzare S. leucophylla that seems to have S. flava var. rugelii in its distant background:

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Another shot of the same clone:

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Can't get enough of these var. albas!

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love these little "floral-like" clusters:

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Snow white S. leucophylla var. alba with a red body...don't come across that too often!

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Same clone, different shot:

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This one is really nice:

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There were lots of babies at this site, indicating a good, healthy population. Even the babies were impessive!

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Another baby plant:

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Another favorite:

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This one has been chowin' down on too many insects:

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and another super-white clone:

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you're welcome kisscool!

Some more photos, with a focus on clusters of traps:

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Ever wonder what native Sarracenia soil looks like? It's mostly this fine, powdery white sand with a little bit of peat or well-decomposed hummus mixed in:

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Great pictures!

My favorite species, and my favorite location - though I have never made it there. Luckily, someone brought plants from there over here.

And of my little girl as well - she just picked out a Baldwin plant out of thousands of Sarracenia in a friends nursery last week. That is now decorating my balcony :-)

I wonder if the boys survived the mosquitos ;-)

Thanks for sharing

Martin

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

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Here's a stunner:

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What do these 3 traps pictured below have in common? Sorry to spoil the surprise: they're from the very same exact plant! You're probably thinking, "No way, Mike Wang is full of it and is a complete Liar, those don't even look close to the same!" Well, if you don't believe me, try growing a few different S. leucophylla clones and observe them throughout the years. See if you can find traps from the same plant that look different from year to year-some clones are more extreme than others. If you still don't believe me, check out this post: http://icps.proboards.com/thread/5595/leucophylla-hurricane-creek-white-controversy

The bright white trap to the left is a fall pitcher, and the one to the center (me holding onto it) and to the right are burnt out spring/summer traps. Yes, I did a thorough inspection and verified all 3 pitchers are attached to the same exact rhizome...unfortunately, the picture isn't as clear with that regard (hence, you just have to take my word for it). Notice how the color of the 2 traps to the right are not very white compared to the one on the left-time of year, environmental conditions, and genetics all play a role in the production of super-bright white traps. Equally bizarre, the shapes are slightly different:

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Here is the fall and summer trap side by side for comparison, produced from the same plant:

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same clone, I went crazy and took a few photos:

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Some of these photos are pretty darn incredible:

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This appears to be all the same clone. There were quite a few large clonal clumps here:

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Another jaw dropper:

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I think this is the same clone, different trap:

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Hurricane creek white look-alike?

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Another jaw dropping photo:

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More photos to come!

Edited by meizwang
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