Its been noted that S purpurea is truely Evergreen. Its pitchers,
especially in the northern form, turn bright burgandy or coppery in the
fall and stay that way all winter, then in the spring, the green up
again, ready for another season. If you cut those pitchers off, it
really sets back the plant. Dieback is normal for all the other plants,
and infact, cutting off dead dried leaves will not harm other Sarrs. So
to make a long story short, I would have to say that at the least, all
sarrs are semi-green, however, purpurea is ever green!
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Well look at it like this: deciduous plants like oak trees shed
their leaves in the fall so they aren't evergreen. While on the
other hand pines retain their leaves till after new leaves have
grown so they are evergreen. Now, yes alot of pitchers in the tall
species die in the winter *but* the pitchers aren't the whole leaf.
Also the tops of the leaves die from the conditions *not* because
the plants abort them. If some pitchers are bent over so they lay
on the ground though the winter they will still be healthy, though
beat up, and will be photosynthesising come the spring. It's the
length of the leaves that kills them: S.psittacina also makes through
winter (without manipulation). Maybe they aren't evergreen, but I
don't know a better word to describe plants that don't shed their
leaves in the fall. non-deciduous? It = evergreen right?
Possibly (probably) Wrong, Dave Evans
P.S. Perhaps Jan could shed some light?