Utricularia purpurea

Utricularia purpurea, the eastern purple bladderwort,[1] is a medium-sized suspended aquatic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. purpurea is endemic to North and Central America.[2] It has been suggested that U. purpurea may have partially lost its appetite for carnivory. Richards (2001) did an extensive study in the field on it and noted that trapping rates of the usual Utricularia prey were significantly lower than in other species in the genus. Richards concludes that this species can still trap and digest arthropod prey in its specialized bladder traps, but does so sparingly. Instead, it harbors a community of algae, zooplankton, and debris in the bladders that indicates U. purpurea favors a mutualistic interaction in place of a predator–prey relationship.[3]

Utricularia purpurea
Utricularia purpurea Walter - eastern purple bladderwort
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. Vesiculina
Species:
U. purpurea
Binomial name
Utricularia purpurea
Synonyms
  • U. saccata Elliott nom. illeg.
  • U. violacea Barton nom. illeg.
  • Vesiculina purpurea (Walter) Raf.
  • Vesiculina saccata (Elliott) Raf.

See also

References
  1. "Utricularia purpurea". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  2. Taylor, Peter. (1989). The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV: London.
  3. Richards, J.H. (2001) Bladder function in Utricularia purpurea (Lentibulariaceae): Is carnivory important? American Journal of Botany, 88(1): 170–176. doi:10.2307/2657137


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