CATESBY PITCHERPLANT 



Sarracenia catesbaei Elliott 



This pitcherplant was discovered by Mark Catesby, who explored 

 the Carolinas in 1711, and was later named in his honor by Stephen 

 Elliott, in his "Sketch of the Botany of South-Carolina and Georgia." 

 There is a difference of opinion among present-day botanists as to its 

 status, some agreeing with Elliott that it is a distinct species, while 

 others hold it to be a hybrid between Sarracenia flava and S. purpurea. 

 It does combine the characters of the two presumptive parents in a 

 striking way, — in the shape and position of the leaves, in the size of 

 the flower parts, and especially in the petal color, which exhibits an 

 attractive mingling of the yellow of the one species with the maroon 

 of the other. 



Catesby pitcherplant is reported to occur from Florida to North 

 Carolina, although always rare and local. The specimen painted was 

 grown in the Department of Agriculture greenhouses by Dr. Fred- 

 erick V. Coville, the root having been collected by Dr. Edgar T Wherry 

 in a swamp near Quincy, Florida, in 13 2.5 . Dr. Wherry states that this 

 plant grew in association with the two species of which it is supposed 

 to be a cross, but that the adult clump was surrounded by seedlings 

 in such a manner as to indicate that it is capable of reproducing itself, 

 and is, accordingly, on the way to becoming an independent species. 



PLATE 40O 



