Flower profile

Hooded pitcher plant

Sarracenia minor

Hooded pitcher plant (Sarracenia minor) is a flowering plant in the Sarraceniaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Hooded pitcher plant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.

4states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

4,756U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, South Carolina

Quick look

Sarracenia minor, also known as the hooded pitcherplant, is a perennial, terrestrial, rhizomatous, herbaceous, carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to North America.
From Wikipedia's article Sarracenia minor, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Sarraceniaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,228 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #93 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 453 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #87 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (255 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	April–May	3,228
South Carolina	Native	few records (12)	453

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: State threatened On Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055): state threatened. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: it's on Florida's rare plant list (state threatened). ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records hooded pitcher plant in 4 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Sumter, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Orangeburg, Sumter, Williamsburg.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Sarracenia variolaris.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 94 counties across 4 states; the most are in Florida (36), Georgia (34), South Carolina (19).

Other Sarracenia on Bloomipedia (6): Purple pitcher plant, Yellow pitcher plant, Pale pitcher plant, White pitcher plant, Parrot pitcher plant, Burk's southern pitcher plant.

More from the Sarraceniaceae family (7 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): California pitcher plant.

More Florida flowers

White beggarticks

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American beautyberry

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🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Largeflower Mexican clover

Richardia grandiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: November–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SAMI9.
iNaturalist, Sarracenia minor: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Sarracenia minor (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Sarracenia minor (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Tom Field via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.