Friday, June 3, 2011

Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora - Gotcha! Giant



Data at a glance...
Latin name                           Sarracenia flava var. rubricorpora
Clone name                          Gotcha! Giant
Acquired                               2009, ex Gotcha! Plants at the Queensland Garden Expo, Nambour
Pitcher flush pattern            1-2: 1: P (Sp: Su: Au) 
Growth strength                   Strong, but weak pitcher production
Division types                      Flower and rhizome division noted, but not regular

Gotcha! Giant is the biggest S. flava var rubricorpora I have seen in cultivation within Australia. Mature plants produce truly massive pitchers, which regularly reach well over 90 cm (3 feet), if not higher. My plant was obtained as a cutting, so it still has a while to go yet. Another curious thing about this plant is its hood, which leans forwards over the mouth of the pitcher because the throat is actually angled forwards. Even with this obstruction, it is an adept insect catcher. Unfortunately, it is a little on the slow side to grow, with only a few pitchers produced per year. It is also slow to divide, so it is not a plant for the impatient. Despite this, it ranks high on my list of favourites for its impressive size.