- Breeder
- Christoph Belanger (selected the published 'Phoenix' clone from a seedling batch)
- First described
- 2015
A formally published yellow-flowered S. purpurea cultivar — pure NJ genetics, not a hybrid. The trait breeds true from seed, which is what allowed the cultivar to survive the death of the original plant (hence the 'Phoenix' name). Documented in a single 2015 thread.
Origin
Wild-origin S. purpurea ssp. purpurea from Ocean County, NJ. The cultivar history (per jasonksepka, post 7, 2015-09-09):
- Original wild-collected plant died.
- Seedlings were grown from its seed.
- Christoph Belanger selected one of those seedlings and published it as 'Phoenix'.
Mike's accession: per Mike's initial belief, divisions of the type clone; per jasonksepka's correction, siblings of the type clone (separate seed-grown individuals carrying the same yellow-flower trait, which breeds true). The conflict between Mike's and jasonksepka's accounts is logged as an open question — either reading is consistent with the cultivar's documented true-breeding behavior.
The original wild collector and collection date are [MISSING].
History
- Wild origin: Ocean Co, NJ. Year [MISSING].
- Original plant died (year [MISSING]); seedlings grown.
- Christoph Belanger selects and publishes 'Phoenix'.
- Pre-2015: Mike acquires plants. (How and when: [MISSING].)
- 2015-04-06 (post 1): Mike's first forum documentation. Notes the trait is unlikely to be hybrid-origin (despite the resemblance of NJ purps to flavas in some respects).
- 2015-04-09 (post 4): Mike clarifies that the lime-green lid edging is environmental, not a fixed trait.
- 2015-09-09 (post 7): jasonksepka clarifies the cultivar history and corrects Mike's understanding — Mike's plants are siblings, not divisions.
- 2015-09-10 (post 8): hcarlton notes that cultivar labeling rules go by description-fit, not propagation method.
- 2016-08-24: Forum sighting of a Phoenix on eBay (rare!).
Standout traits
- Yellow flower — the defining trait, exceptional in S. purpurea.
- Yellow color is impure — visible red anthocyanin mixed in; not anthocyanin-free.
- Hybrid-looking sepals — red-and-yellow.
- Otherwise typical purpurea ssp. purpurea pitcher.
- True-breeding from seed — what saved the cultivar after the original plant died.
- Pure-species origin — direct evidence that yellow flowers can arise without interspecific hybridization.
Cultivation notes
Standard purpurea ssp. purpurea care. Lid edging coloration is environmentally driven; expect seasonal variation.
Photos
See gallery below — 4 Mike-photos from 2015.
Standout traits
- Yellow flower in S. purpurea — exceptional. Mike (post 1, 2015): 'this clone produces regular purple pitchers but has a yellowish flower!'
- NOT pure yellow — red anthocyanins are still present in the flower, mixed in
- Sepals appear hybrid-looking: red with yellow mixed in
- Pitcher foliage is otherwise unremarkable purple — without the flower, would be indistinguishable from a regular purpurea ssp. purpurea
- Yellow-flower trait BREEDS TRUE from seed (Mike, post 4, 2015): 'it seems as though they breed true from seed' — this is what allowed the cultivar to survive the death of the original plant
- Pure purpurea ssp. purpurea genetics — NOT a hybrid origin (per jasonksepka post 7), demonstrating that yellow-flower mutations can arise without interspecific introgression
Cultivation
No clone-specific cultivation notes posted. Mike (post 4, 2015): variation in lid edging color (e.g., the lime green edging that morpheus asked about) is "likely an environmentally induced thing" rather than a stable phenotype — Mike's purpureas show various seasonal color shifts under his standard culture.
Photos (4)
Naming
'Phoenix' — references the lineage's history (per jasonksepka, post 7): "the original plant died, but offspring were grown from seed. Out of these offspring, Christoph selected one to call 'Phoenix'." A formally published purpurea cultivar.