Sarracenia 'Juthatip Soper'

Breeding History and North American Background

Sarracenia ‘Juthatip Soper’ has the parentage (S. leucophylla × S. purpurea) × S. leucophylla, so S. leucophylla is the strongest influence in its ancestry.

Matthew Soper raised the plant in Southampton, England, on 7 November 1997. It was published in 1998 and registered in 2007. Vegetative propagation preserves the characteristics of the original clone.

Both parent species come from acidic, nutrient-poor wetlands in North America, where their pitcher leaves supplement mineral nutrition by trapping animals. Like other Sarracenia, the hybrid is covered by CITES Appendix II controls on international trade.

Growing pitcher plants through growth and winter rest

Light, seasonal care and temperature: Grow Sarracenia ‘Juthatip Soper’ outdoors in full sun. A shaded or recently delivered plant needs a gradual transition, but ordinary indoor “bright indirect” light is not enough for firm, strongly coloured pitchers. This temperate hybrid also requires a cool winter rest. Container plants should be protected from severe, prolonged freezing even though the parentage contributes useful cold tolerance.

Watering, root care and feeding: Use rainwater, distilled water or reverse-osmosis water with very low dissolved minerals. Plant the rhizome in an acidic, nutrient-poor, airy carnivorous mix such as unfertilised sphagnum peat with perlite or silica sand, or a tested peat-free bog-plant medium.

Watering and root care: During active growth the pot can stand in a shallow tray of suitable water. In winter keep the medium damp rather than deeply flooded, and never replace it with ordinary rich compost.

Feeding, root care and leaf care: Captured prey supplies supplementary nutrients while the green pitchers still photosynthesise. Do not add conventional soil fertiliser, meat or household food to the traps. Cut away a pitcher only after it is fully brown, retaining green tissue through the growing season and dormancy. Divide an established rhizome while the plant is resting or just returning to growth, ensuring every section has roots and a viable bud. Seedlings do not remain true to the original clone.

Issues Affecting Sarracenia ‘Juthatip Soper’

Distorted pitchers, burnt edges and steady decline in a wet bog mix often come from mineral-rich water or a mix containing fertiliser. Check the rhizome, the thick horizontal stem at the base. If it is firm, change to rainwater, distilled water or reverse-osmosis water and use an unfertilised carnivorous-plant mix. Houseplant feed, meat and household food will make the problem worse rather than help.

Broad weak-green pitchers with little colour usually need much stronger light, provided the crown is still healthy. Introduce the plant gradually to brighter outdoor sun. A plant that weakens year after year despite good summer light may also be missing a cool winter rest. Older pitchers naturally brown during dormancy and can be trimmed after all green tissue has died.

A soft brown area spreading through the rhizome, a sour smell or collapse from the base suggests that rot is developing. Cut back to firm tissue with clean tools and give the crown more air while the medium remains damp, not deeply flooded. Aphids can twist young pitchers, so gently open damaged growth and look for insects before blaming water or dormancy.

Keep Sarracenia ‘Juthatip Soper’ away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Why is it called Sarracenia?

Sarracenia commemorates Michel Sarrazin, a French-Canadian physician and naturalist who studied the plants of New France.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Sarracenia in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 510; Joseph Pitton de Tournefort had proposed the name.