Sarracenia rubra subsp. wherryi

Sarracenia rubra subsp. wherryi is named after the famous botanist E.T. Wherry. It is commonly found with Sarracenia leucophylla, although hybrids are rare. In essence, this plant looks like a short version (8-45 cm, average 18 cm tall) of the taller Sarracenia alabamensis subsp. alabamensis (18-71 cm, average 40 cm tall). This clone is very pubescent. As is typical for the subspecies the spring leaves are kind of floppy, with a large midrib. It is speculated that this is to maximise the surface area for photosynthesis in spring, carnivory becoming really important only in summer.

S. rubra subsp. wherryi is distributed on bogs near where the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers meet, in southwestern Alabama (Washington, Mobile, Baldwin Co.) and eastern Mississippi (Greene and Wayne Co.) and Florida (western Escambia Co.).

Sarracenia rubra subsp. wherryi is part of the S. rubra complex. Taxonomy of this complex is rather is rather complicated. Currently, there are six subspecies, their relationships and taxonomic level are described differently by different authors. Personally I think Barry Rice makes a good point grouping the taxons correspondingly to river catchments in which they occur. However the final word would of course be a genetic analysis.

- S. rubra subsp. rubra
- S. rubra subsp. jonesii [=S. jonesii]
- S. rubra subsp. gulfensis
- S. rubra subsp. viatorum- S. rubra subsp. alabamensis [=S. alabamensis]
- S. rubra subsp. wherryi [=S. alabamensis subsp. wherryi]

The range of the S. rubra complex extends from southern Mississippi, through southern Alabama, the Florida panhandle and Georgia, to the coastal plains of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Sarracenia rubra is generally smaller and narrower than most species, usually not exceeding 65 cm in height. Sarracenia rubra is generally clump-forming. 

We offer plants of M/L size: plants that will flower in the coming season, with 1 large growing and with some side-shoots.