Pollinate Sarracenia so you can harvest seeds

🌸 Propagation

Pollinating Sarracenia
and harvesting seeds

How to grow your own seeds with a small brush: the flower, pollination and harvesting explained step-by-step

Killian Dupont: Grower at carnivorous plant shop

It's spring, and that means Sarracenia (pitcher plant) and Dionaea (Venus flytrap) are emerging from their winter dormancy. After winter dormancy, carnivorous plants often produce their flowers first, before their pitchers open. This is the perfect time to pollinate yourself and harvest your own seeds in the autumn. All you need is a small brush or cotton swab to get started.

The flower of a Sarracenia

Before you start pollinating, it's helpful to understand the structure of the flower. A Sarracenia flava (yellow pitcher plant) has a striking structure: the inner petals are the corolla, and the outer ones are the sepals. The prominent umbrella-shaped part in the middle is the pistil, the female reproductive organ of the plant.

Bloem van Sarracenia flava met kroonbladeren, kelkbladeren en stamper

Fig. 1. Flower of Sarracenia flava. The inner petals are the corolla, the outer ones are the sepals. The umbrella-shaped part in the middle is the pistil, the female organ that bears the stigmas where pollen must land.
Structure of the Sarracenia flower

Corolla
The coloured inner petals that attract insects. They fall off after fertilisation.

Sepals
The outer petals, which remain on the plant even after flowering.
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Stamens
The male organ, consisting of a filament and an anther. It produces yellowish-white pollen that falls into the umbrella-shaped part.
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Pistil (stigma + style)
The female organ under the umbrella-shaped part. The five stigmas are the receptive points where pollen must be applied.
Binnenkant van de Sarracenia-bloem met meeldraden en stuifmeel

Fig. 2. Inside the flower. The stamens hang around the umbrella-shaped part of the pistil and release their yellowish-white pollen into it. In nature, bees and bumblebees become covered in pollen here when they crawl into the flower.

In nature, bees and bumblebees handle the pollination: they crawl into the flower, get covered in pollen, and carry it to the next flower. We can replicate this process ourselves with a small brush or cotton swab, and thereby control which plants we cross-pollinate.

Self-pollination vs. cross-pollination: You can pollinate a Sarracenia with its own pollen (self-pollination), but cross-pollination is always preferred: transferring pollen from one plant to a genetically different plant. Cross-pollination produces seedlings with more genetic variation, which are usually more robust and can show more interesting characteristics.

How do you pollinate a Sarracenia?

Pollination itself is surprisingly simple. You transfer pollen from the stamens to the stigmas, either from the same flower or from another plant. Here are the three steps:

1
Step 1
Collect pollen

Take a dark brush or cotton swab and gently sweep it through the umbrella-shaped part (the pistil) of the flower. The yellowish-white pollen will stick to the brush. A dark brush makes it easier to see how much pollen you have collected.

2
Step 2
Transfer pollen to the stigma

Gently rub the pollen against the five stigmas. These are located at the tips of the umbrella-shaped part. For cross-pollination, apply pollen from one plant to the stigmas of another plant. Repeat pollination 2 to 3 days in a row for the best results.

3
Step 3
Wait and harvest

After successful pollination, the petals and stamens fall off, but the umbrella-shaped part remains. The ovary slowly swells. In the autumn, when the flower is brown and dry, you can harvest the ovary and carefully open it to collect the seeds.

De vijf stempels van een Sarracenia-bloem zichtbaar na het verwijderen van kroonbladeren

Fig. 3. With the petals removed, the five stigmas are clearly visible at the tips of the umbrella-shaped part. Pollen must be applied here for successful fertilisation.
Stuifmeel op een penseeltje klaar om op de stempel te worden aangebracht

Fig. 4. Yellowish-white pollen on a dark brush, ready to be applied to the stigmas. A dark brush makes it visible how much pollen you have collected.
Best time of day: Preferably pollinate in the afternoon, when the humidity is slightly lower. This increases the chance that the pollen will adhere well to the stigma.

See it in action

The video below demonstrates exactly how pollination works. In this example, the flower is pollinated with its own pollen (self-pollination). In practice, pollen from another plant is preferred.

Video: Self-pollination of a Sarracenia flower with a brush. In practice, cross-pollination is preferred for genetic variation.

Practical tips

✅ Tips for successful pollination
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Pollinate in the afternoon, as humidity is generally more favourable for pollen adhesion then.
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Repeat pollination for 2 to 3 consecutive days to increase the chance of fertilisation.
🖌️
Use a dark brush, as the yellowish-white pollen will be clearly visible then.
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Apply cross-pollination by using two genetically different plants for more robust and interesting seedlings.
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Want to prevent insect pollination? Place a fine mesh net around the flowers while they are open.

View all our Sarracenia varieties

From Sarracenia flava to rare hybrids: find the plant you want to pollinate in our assortment.

All Sarracenia varieties Full assortment

Questions about pollination or cultivation?

Feel free to send a message to killian@dupontflora.com. We'll help you based on 15 years of our own cultivation experience.

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