WHAT ARE UTRICULARIA

Utricularia are carnivorous plant and they use an active trap mechanism to capture tiny insects and vertebrates. They are also called bladderworts and they make up the largest genus of carnivorous plants in the world.

There are terrestrial and aquatic species in this genus, meaning some species grow as water plants floating in shallow ponds of acidic water while others grow in acidic media. At a glance the Bladderwort plant looks like a normal unattractive plant. But it is the strange bladder-traps and beautiful flowers that attract the attention of carnivorous plant enthusiasts and make this oddity of nature so unique and attractive.

HOW DO THEY CAPTURE INSECTS

The Bladderwort’s traps are tiny pouches shaped like little eggs. The traps are under water (aquatic species) and in the growing media (terrestrial species) scattered along the plant’s underground or aquatic stems and leaves and are usually the size of a pinhead to a maximum of about half an inch depending on the species.

Their stems, leaves and flowers grow above the water above the media. When tiny animals swim by and touch the trigger hair on the trapdoor of the trap, the trapping mechanism spring into action. In a split second the pouch sucks the animal and water inside just like how a vacuum cleaner sucks dust and dirt. It takes just about one hour for the trap to digest the insect and reset its trap.

WHERE CAN I FIND UTRICULARIA

Bladderwort are highly adaptable and can be found in every continent in the world and grow in various climate.

FIND OUT MORE

to find out more about Utricularia, check out the disccusion board here.