Utricularia

Utricularia
Utricularia vulgaris illustration from Jakob Sturm's "Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen", Stuttgart (1796)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Utricularia
L.
Subgenera

Bivalvaria
Polypompholyx
Utricularia

Diversity
233 species
Bladderwort distribution

Utricularia, commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).[1] They occur in fresh water and wet soil as terrestrial or aquatic species across every continent except Antarctica. Utricularia are cultivated for their flowers, which are often compared with those of snapdragons and orchids, especially amongst carnivorous plant enthusiasts.

All Utricularia are carnivorous and capture small organisms by means of bladder-like traps. Terrestrial species tend to have tiny traps that feed on minute prey such as protozoa and rotifers swimming in water-saturated soil. The traps can range in size from 0.02 to 1.2 cm (0.008 to 0.5 in).[2] Aquatic species, such as U. vulgaris (common bladderwort), possess bladders that are usually larger and can feed on more substantial prey such as water fleas (Daphnia), nematodes and even fish fry, mosquito larvae and young tadpoles. Despite their small size, the traps are extremely sophisticated. In the active traps of the aquatic species, prey brush against trigger hairs connected to the trapdoor. The bladder, when "set", is under negative pressure in relation to its environment so that when the trapdoor is mechanically triggered, the prey, along with the water surrounding it, is sucked into the bladder. Once the bladder is full of water, the door closes again, the whole process taking only ten to fifteen milliseconds.[3][4]

Bladderworts are unusual and highly specialized plants, and the vegetative organs are not clearly separated into roots, leaves, and stems as in most other angiosperms.[5] Utricularia lack a root system.[6][7][8] Bladder traps are recognized as one of the most sophisticated structures in the plant kingdom.[2]

  1. ^ Salmon, Bruce (2001). Carnivorous Plants of New Zealand. Ecosphere Publications. ISBN 978-0-473-08032-7
  2. ^ a b Taylor, Peter. (1989). The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV: London. ISBN 978-0-947643-72-0
  3. ^ D'Amato, Peter. 1998. The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, California. ISBN 978-0-89815-915-8
  4. ^ Lloyd, F.E. 1942. The Carnivorous Plants. The Ronald Press Company: New York. ISBN 978-1-4437-2891-1
  5. ^ Rutishauser, Rolf; Isler, B. "Developmental Genetics and Morphological Evolution of Flowering Plants, Especially Bladderworts (Utricularia): Fuzzy Arberian Morphology Complements Classical Morphology". Annals of Botany. 88: 1173–1202. doi:10.1006/anbo.2001.1498.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hedrich was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Adlassnig, Wolfram; Peroutka, Marianne; Lambers, Hans; Lichtscheidl, Irene K. (1 July 2005). "The Roots of Carnivorous Plants". Plant and Soil. 274 (1): 127–140. Bibcode:2005PlSoi.274..127A. doi:10.1007/s11104-004-2754-2. ISSN 1573-5036. S2CID 5038696. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  8. ^ Miranda, Vitor F. O.; Silva, Saura R.; Reut, Markus S.; Dolsan, Hugo; Stolarczyk, Piotr; Rutishauser, Rolf; Płachno, Bartosz J. (3 December 2021). "A Historical Perspective of Bladderworts (Utricularia): Traps, Carnivory and Body Architecture" (PDF). Plants. 10 (12): 2656. doi:10.3390/plants10122656. PMC 8707321. PMID 34961127. Retrieved 17 March 2022.