Utricularia macrorhiza
Species of carnivorous plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Utricularia macrorhiza | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific 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] | |
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List
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Description
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
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]
