- First described
- 2022
A wild-origin S. rosea selection from Southern Baldwin County, AL — prized for unusually prolific side-shoot production and the ability to form enormous clumps. Documented in two 2022 threads.
Origin
Wild-origin Sarracenia rosea, originally collected from private property in Southern Baldwin County, AL, where the species is native. Selected by Mike from a population of plants from the same site — chosen specifically because of its extreme side-shoot production ("like no other plant from the same population"). Collector identity and exact collection date are [MISSING].
History
- Pre-2012 ([VERIFY] — derived from Mike's 2022 statement that the plant was "grown surrounded by taller Sarracenia and always stayed green for probably a good 10 years"): clone in cultivation but shaded out, kept green continuously.
- ~2020: Divided, given fresh soil, and moved to "blasting full sun" as part of a rejuvenation. Began coloring up again.
- 2022-06-30 (thread 5596): First detailed photodocumentation. 5 photos showing the post-division clump beginning to express the red color.
- 2022-summer/fall (thread 5768, posted 2022-11-01): Six more photos. Mike emphasizes the side-shoot production and the bird's-eye view of a clump that was a single growth point only 2 years earlier.
Standout traits
- Side-shoot vigor. The defining selection criterion. Mike singles this out as exceeding all other plants from the same wild population.
- Clump-forming potential. "If not [tamed], they could form carpets and colonize a pretty serious amount of space."
- Color requires full sun. The plant stayed green for an entire ~10-year period under shade — only after relocation to full sun did the trait expression that earned its name return.
Cultivation notes
- Full sun is non-negotiable for color expression in this clone. Crowded or shaded conditions will keep it green even though it remains healthy.
- Plan for size. This is a clump-forming clone. Without active division, it will continue to expand into a carpet.
- Soil refresh at division helped the plant rebound after the ~2020 transplant — Mike's combination of fresh soil + full sun is what brought back the color and vigor.
Photos
See gallery below.
Standout traits
- Extreme side-shoot production — Mike: 'ability to produce side shoots like no other plant from the same population'
- Forms enormous tufts/clumps over time; if untamed could 'form carpets and colonize a pretty serious amount of space'
- Extremely vigorous; super easy to grow for a rosea (Mike's words)
- A clump only 2 years old (post-division, 2020-2022) was already gaining serious size from a single growth point
- Color (the red trait that earned its name) requires full sun — kept green for ~10 years when shaded by taller Sarracenia
Cultivation
- Full sun is required for color expression. Mike's plant stayed green for "probably a good 10 years" while surrounded by taller Sarracenia that shaded it. After being divided ~2020 and placed in "blasting full sun," it began to color up again. If 'red lips' is grown in shade it will simply look green.
- Vigorous divider. Producing more side shoots than other plants from the same wild population is the standout phenotype. Plan for eventual size — Mike has actively kept the clumps "tamed" rather than letting them form full carpets.
- Standard rosea care otherwise — fresh soil at division helps recovery (Mike refreshed soil at the 2020 division as part of the rejuvenation regimen).
Photos (11)
Naming
"Red lips" — informal label, not a registered cultivar. The threads do not explain the etymology directly. Likely refers to the contrast between the plant's red lid/peristome and the green/pink hood ([VERIFY]: Mike to confirm), but Mike does not state the source of the name in either thread.