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I have heard somewhere that S.purpurea can eat plant debris (dead leafs, twigs etc). Is this true? And if it is, how much nutritional value do they have when compared to insects?

Barlapipas 6 wrote:I have heard somewhere that S.purpurea can eat plant debris (dead leafs, twigs etc). Is this true? And if it is, how much nutritional value do they have when compared to insects?

I don't think it's true I know that ampullaria can but its a different species. I have literal algae growing in my purpurea pitchers so yeah.

They can to an extent because their pitchers generally have water/fluid in them that can help break down any debris that may fall in. However, they aren't detritivores like Nepenthes ampullaria that have evolved to be able to extract more usable nutrients from plant matter. Ampullaria secrete different enzymes that help facilitate that.
The amount and quality of nutrients that a S. purpurea can extract from plant matter will be insufficient for long term benefits, especially when all the plant really needs is direct sunlight to produce its own food. With purps, any bug, even a dead and dried up bug, will be more beneficial than a stick or a leaf.