Carnivorous Plant Clone Wiki
Awaiting Mike's review. This entry was AI-extracted from forum posts. Treat specifics as a working draft until reviewed.

sarracenia leucophylla var. alba

Sarracenia leucophylla 'Hurricane Creek White' clone A Baldwin Co, AL

Baldwin Co, AL

Collector
John Hummer (lineage)
First described
2012
Type
individual clone extirpated site conservation

Origin

One of the original John-Hummer-distributed HCW clones from Hurricane Creek, Baldwin Co, AL. The wild site was destroyed by paper-company afforestation; almost all original HCW genetics now exist in cultivation. See the HCW Baldwin population entry for site context.

History

Mike's introduction (post #1, 2012-05-11): "S. leucophylla Hurricane Creek White clone A is a very mysterious plant... pitchers on the same exact clone can look completely different from one plant to the next." Same-clone phenotypic variability is a defining property, illustrated in the first thread post with photos of two same-clone divisions showing dramatically different green-vein/white-throat patterns.

Re-documentation across 2012-2018:

  • 2012-08 to 2012-10 — summer and fall trap progression
  • 2013-08 — ~3 ft tall traps
  • 2014-05 — "protruding mouth" anomaly
  • 2016-10-07 — Mike's "whitest A I've ever seen" photos; community comparison with another grower (Bristol)'s benchmark plants
  • 2018-10 — heat wave fried the autumn flush; pre-scorch photos rescued

Standout traits

  • Phenotypic variability across seasons and across same-clone divisions — extreme for any single plant
  • Top-3 ranking within the authentic-HCW group per Mike's 2018 framing
  • Large traps (3 ft in 2013) and abundant insect catch
  • Spring vs. fall pigmentation difference — spring traps sometimes pinkish below the mouth; fall traps usually pure white

Cultivation notes

Outdoor Northern California, no special protection mentioned. Heat waves are a documented threat to fall trap quality; California heat in late October has scorched the showcase pitchers more than once. Insect-catch is high enough that Mike highlights the trait in 2012.

Photos

Ten Mike-source photos imported, 2012-2018. See photos[].

Standout traits

  • Top-3 of the original authentic HCW clones in existence (Mike, post #26, 2018)
  • Spring traps sometimes show pinkish pigments below the mouth; fall traps are typically pure white
  • Very large traps — 2018 Mike-thread shows ~3 ft tall traps; trap with 'protruding mouth' anomaly noted 2014
  • Strong insect catch — Mike (post #6, 2012-08): all leucophylla varieties catch a lot, but HCW especially
  • Bristol's 2016-10-07 photos (referenced via Calen 2016-10-24) regarded as the cultivation benchmark for white-pitchers in this clone

Cultivation

Outdoor Northern California. Mike notes (post #1) that the same clone produces variable pitcher shapes/colors year-to-year and even between divisions of the same plant — "extreme phenotypic variation" is a defining trait, not a cultivation problem. Catches abundant insects. 2018 update mentions a heat wave fried the whitest fall traps before Mike could photograph them; the pre-scorch pictures Mike rescued show the white potential.

Photos (10)

HCW clone A spring traps, 2012-05-11— Mike Wang
Clone A — variant phenotype with pronounced green veins, 2012-05— Mike Wang
Summer pitcher, 2012-08— Mike Wang
Late-September fall pitchers, 2012— Mike Wang
~3 ft trap, 2013-08— Mike Wang
Same clone in 2011 — much whiter— Mike Wang
'Protruding mouth' anomaly, 2014-05-31— Mike Wang
Whitest fall pitchers, 2016-10-07— Mike Wang
2018-10-03— Mike Wang
Large 2018 trap before heat-wave scorch— Mike Wang

Naming

'Clone A' = Mike's accession-code letter for one of the original HCW clones. Mike (post #1) flags the entire HCW group as "very mysterious" — same clone can produce drastically different-looking pitchers across seasons and even across same-clone divisions.