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Photo: Rahul Prabhu Khanolkar
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Common name: Bladderwort
Botanical name: Utricularia spp. Family: Lentibulariaceae (bladderwort family)
These stunningly clever traps are the most amazing of all carnivorous plant
traps. They are the size of a pinhead and are usually underground or under
water. They catch tiny swimming water fleas, and incredibly it all happens in
one 15 thousandth of a second. The tiny bladder has trigger hairs, which when
touched will cause the trap door to fly open inwards, releasing the vacuum and
sucking in the prey. The door shuts and the victim is trapped inside. Within a
few minutes the water is pumped from the trap, and it is sealed. Digestive
juices are secreted and the prey is dissolved and absorbed. Bladderworts
are cultivated for their flowers which are often compared with snapdragons and
orchids. All bladderworts are carnivorous, and capture small animals by means
of bladder-like traps. Terrestrial species tend to have tiny traps, and feed
on minute prey such as protozoa and rotifers swimming in water-saturated soil.
The main part of a Bladderwort plant always lies below the surface of its
substrate. This means that the terrestrial species are generally visible only
while they are in flower. Flowers are the only part of the plant clear of the
underlying soil or water. They are usually produced at the end of thin, often
vertical stems. They can range in size from a few millimetres across to two
inches or more, and have two asymmetric labiate (unequal, lip-like) petals,
the lower usually significantly larger than the upper. They can be of any
colour, or of many colours, and are similar in structure to the flowers of a
related carnivorous genus, Pinguicula.
| Photographed in
Belgaum, Western Ghats. |
Identification credit: Navendu Pagé
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