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Utricularia macrorhiza
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] DescriptionU. 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] DistributionIn 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 alsoReferences Wikimedia Commons has media related to Utricularia macrorhiza.
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