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Cressler, Alan

Utricularia inflata

Utricularia inflata Walter

Swollen bladderwort, Floating bladderwort

Lentibulariaceae (Bladderwort Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: UTIN

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

A carnivorous, aquatic plant with several yellow flowers on a stem that rises above the water over a wheel-like float of inflated leaf stalks.

When swimming prey, such as minute crustaceans, touch the trigger hairs surrounding the mouth of one of the bladders, a trapdoor-like flap of tissue swings open and the bladder quickly expands, sucking the organisms inside. Enzymes are secreted to dissolve the prey into nutritional elements for the plant. Among the fifteen species that occur in eastern North America, only this one has floats. Reversed Bladderwort (U. resupinata) and Purple Bladderwort (U. purpurea) have purple flowers. U. olivacea is the most delicate. The entire plant is no longer than a dime, with a yellowish-white flower less than 1/10 (2.5 mm) long borne on a stalk 1/10-1/3 (2.5-8 mm) tall. Greater Bladderwort (U. vulgaris) is a common yellow-flowering form that lacks the inflated leaf stalks.

From the Image Gallery

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 0-1 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , DE , FL , GA , KY , LA , MD , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA , WA
Native Distribution: Nova Scotia and New England south to Florida; west to Texas; north to Tennessee; northwest to Indiana.
Native Habitat: Ponds and ditches.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL				OBL	OBL			OBL	OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Bibliography

Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller

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From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1996 VOL. 13, NO.2 - Annual Wildflower Days Festival, Wildflower Center Hotline, The Visitor Experien...

Additional resources

USDA: Find Utricularia inflata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Utricularia inflata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Utricularia inflata

Metadata

Record Modified: 2015-07-22
Research By: TWC Staff

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