DRIED PITCHER PLANT LEAVES AS FLORAL DECORATIONS

 Philip Sheridan and Pat Bingham.  Meadowview Biological Research Station.

The white-topped pitcher plant, Sarracenia leucophylla Raf., is both a popular fresh cut and dried leaf in the floral trade bringing up to $1.00 a leaf.  We had seen dried leaves of this species but were not satisfied with the quality due to shrinking and distortion of the pitcher in the drying process.  We harvested mature fall leaves of this species and used a sand drying method to maintain the shape of the pitcher.  Leaves were filled with quarried sand, placed horizintally on a sand bed and then covered with sand.  The whole assembly was then dried in a greenhouse.  After one month leaves were removed from the sand, cleaned, and sprayed with a floral sealer and protectant.  Leaves maintained both color and shape and demonstrated that an increase in the quality of this product is possible.  Pitcher plants therefore may be grown in Virginia for both the fresh-cut and dried flower trade.