Utricularia vulgaris
GREATER COMMON BLADDERWORT

Utricularia vulgaris (greater bladderwort or common bladderwort) is an aquatic species of bladderwort found in Asia and Europe. The plant is a free-floating and does not put down roots. Stems can attain lengths of over one metre in a single growing season, but die back and form turions in winter. The leaves are finely pinnately divided, between one and eight centimetres long and carry many bladder-like traps. The yellow flowers are borne on stalks above the surface of the water between April and August.

Utricularia, commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, 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. 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. The bladder traps, conversely, are recognized as one of the most sophisticated structures in the plant kingdom.

The namebladderwort refers to the bladder-like traps. The aquatic members of the genus have the largest and most obvious bladders, and these were initially thought to be flotation devices before their carnivorous nature was discovered.

The generic name Utricularia is derived from the Latin utriculus, a word which has many related meanings but which most commonly means wine flask, leather bottle or bagpipe.

Flowers are usually produced at the end of thin, often vertical inflorescences. They have two asymmetric labiate (unequal, lip-like) petals, the lower usually significantly larger than the upper. They are similar in structure to the flowers of a related carnivorous genus, Pinguicula.

Utricularia can survive almost anywhere where there is fresh water for at least part of the year; only Antarctica and some oceanic islands have no native species. In common with most carnivorous plants, they grow in moist soils which are poor in dissolved minerals, where their carnivorous nature gives them a competitive advantage; terrestrial varieties of Utricularia can frequently be found alongside representatives of the carnivorous genera–Sarracenia, Drosera and others–in very wet areas where continuously moving water removes most soluble minerals from the soil.

Note: These seeds are extremely tiny! It's just how they naturally are. Reading glasses are recommended to aid with seeing them, even for those who don't normally require glasses to read. The seeds are shipped in either a wax envelope, or folder within a small paper. Open carefully, and sprinkle onto the growing medium. Do not bury the seeds. Germination information is below.

Seeds per pack: 5

Availability: These seeds are available for a very limited time. If these seeds are showing out of stock, we strongly recommend joining our wait list, as these seeds have a very shorty viability window (so we don't offer them for very long) and this helps ensure you get the freshest seeds possible! If they are available, they will only be available for a short time.

Germination: The greater common bladderwort in an aquatic species of carnivorous plant.  They typically grow in alkaline waters where peat moss is breaking down.  The closer you can mimic this type of condition for germination the better.  For the simplest results, line the bottom of a container with peat moss (no drainage, an aquarium would work well for this) and flood the container with distilled, rain or reverse osmosis water.  Once the peat moss has mostly settled, add the seeds directly to the water.  Keep the container in bright light, ideally 10+ hours of light a day, if under grow lights, 14 hours would be beneficial and keep the temperature of the water around 21 degrees celsius (if possible).  If more water needs to be added to keep the water level above the surface of the peat, allow the water to warm up in the room for a few hours prior to adding it to the container.  Going warmer than 21 degrees won't help germination and may even hinder germination of seeds.  Germination could take anywhere from 1 to 3 months, and some stragglers may even take longer.