Color variations:
In contrast, these giant plants
were deeply flushed red on the tops of the pitchers.
After five days, Beth and I saw more specimens of this plant than we could
ever possibly count. By the fifth day, we had concluded that the main
dimensions of color variation were the following:
1)Degree of red flush on the top 1/2 of the pitcher.
2)Presence/absence of copper color on top 1/3 of pitchers (visible only
in the plants without red flushes, of course).
3)Pitcher lip--red or green.
4)Underside of pitcher lid--green or pale, vs. deep red or orange.
It will take another trip for us to decide if these variables are
independent. For example, while
we saw red-flushed plants with both green and red pitcher lips, we were not
sure we saw plants of every possible configuration.
We did not notice any truly anthocyanin-free plants,
although we could have canoed right past them.
It was a real eye-opener to me to see all the different kinds of
plants--I did not know there were so many color variations of this
variety.
