Common Bladderwort
Utricularia macrorhiza LeConte
Common Bladderwort: https://marylandbiodiversity.org/species/16188
Synonyms
Utricularia vulgaris 
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Source: Wikipedia

Utricularia macrorhiza
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Utricularia
Subgenus: Utricularia subg. Utricularia
Section: Utricularia sect. Utricularia
Species:
U. macrorhiza
Binomial name
Utricularia macrorhiza
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Lentibularia vulgaris var. americana (A.Gray) Nieuwl. & Lunell
    • Megopiza macrorhiza (Leconte) Raf.
    • Utricularia grandiflora M.Martens
    • Utricularia intermedia var. robbinsii Alph.Wood
    • Utricularia robbinsii (Alph.Wood) Alph.Wood
    • Utricularia siakujiiensis S.Nakaj.
    • Utricularia vulgaris var. americana A.Gray
    • Utricularia vulgaris subsp. macrorhiza (Leconte) R.T.Clausen

Utricularia macrorhiza, the common bladderwort,[3] is a perennial suspended aquatic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. macrorhiza is native to North America and eastern temperate Asia.[4]

Description

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U. macrorhiza is a floating plant with six to twenty large, bilaterally symmetrical, yellow flowers that appear in June, July, and August, and are held on an erect stem.[5] U. macrorhiza is distinguished from other similar species by its flowers, which are larger than those found on any other bladderwort.[5]

The bladders which give common bladderwort its name are used to trap and consume prey.[5] Small organisms trigger the hairs on the pores of the bladder as they brush against it, causing the pore to open inward, allowing a rush of water into the bladder which pulls the prey in as well.[5] The pore immediately closes behind the prey, which is then digested by enzymes within the bladder.[5] The process of trapping the prey from opening to closing the pore takes place in 0.002 seconds.[5] If large prey becomes stuck in the pore, the prey is digested by the enzymes bit by bit until the pore closes again.[5]

Distribution

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In North America, U. macrorhiza is found throughout the United States and Canada.[3][5] In this range, it is found mostly in ponds and lakes, but also in slow-moving streams and rivers.[5] It shares the northern half of its range with a similar, related species, U. minor, lesser bladderwort.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (6 December 2024). "Utricularia macrorhiza". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Utricularia macrorhiza Leconte". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c NRCS. "Utricularia macrorhiza". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  4. ^ Taylor, Peter. (1989). The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV: London.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
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