Wickedthistle's Plants

Utricularia's natural habitat. Numbers denote the amount of species found in that state. Map courtesy of sarracenia.com

Utricularia are also known as bladderworts. In 1797, a man named Sowerby saw the bladders on the stems of these plants and assumed that they were floatation devices. Over the following years, botanists started putting the pieces together about the strange plants until finally in 1942 Francis Lloyd figured out what was happening. Utricularia have tiny little bladders at intervals throughout their roots - or stems, nobody has quite figured out what they are. These bladders have trigger hairs at the end. When a very small aquatic bug or larvae comes by, the trap sucks in the prey with a vacuum, and seals itself closed with a mucus layer. Water is pumped out through the one-way entrance, digestive juices absorb the nutrients from the prey, and the trap resets itself in 20 minutes.

These are some of the most highly developed plants in the world. They are also the largest genus of carnivorous plants, at last count 214 species spread through every continent. Also very adaptable, some grow in regular soil, some purely in water, and some in a mix of both.

The most popular reason to cultivate Utricularia are their flowers. The flowers at smallest are 1/8th of an inch, and at largest 2 inches. They often resemble small orchids, and can come in a variety of colors. Generally, flowers are difficult to achieve outside of the wild, so it is a grower's challenge to make Utricularia bloom in the home or garden.

Utricularia vulgaris - Truly a vulgar, ugly aquatic!

Utricularia gibba

Utricularia sandersonii - This semi-terrestial plant produces flowers that look like bunnies!