Introduction

My own attraction to Utricularia is their subtlety. Almost everyone would recognize a sundew or a venus fly trap, and those who may not be familiar with some of the more exotic pitcher plants can probably deduce their function easily enough. Utricularia, on the other hand, are an enigma; either they are upstaged by the moss growing in their pots, or they are displaying tiny, orchid-like flowers, yet in either case their carnivorous nature remains obscured.

You see, the Utricularia's tiny trapping device is usually buried within the soil, or in the case of aquatic species attached to floating masses of weedy growth. Tiny though it may be, its complexity is unrivalled in the world of carnivorous plants. It consists of a sac, (usually between .5 and 2 mm, although giants of the genus can reach a whole centimeter), with an inward-opening trapdoor on one side, levered by tiny trigger-hairs. The plant pumps water out of the sac, creating a lower pressure inside the trap. When an unsuspecting organism of suitable scale ventures too near and trips one of the trigger hairs, the door opens, the victim is sucked in, and the door shuts behind it. And if this isn't amazing enough, the whole process can occur within ten to fifteen thousandths of a second. Once inside the prey is digested by enzymes secreted by the plant, and the resulting nutrients are absorbed.

And the remainder of Utricularia anatomy also diverges greatly from the usual plant structures: they have no true roots, their leaves are considered by many to not be leaves at all, and stems are nearly absent in all but the most primitive species.

So what?

The aim of this website is to make up for the many sites that feature the charismatic megaflora of the carnivorous plant world: nepenthes, sarracenia, and the ubiquitous and oft-killed Venus Fly Trap. All fine and worthy plants, but they tend to hog the spotlight. I will provide information about the genus, and pictures of plants I have grown, seen, killed or violently hurled out the window (ahh U. subulata, why must you mock me so?). I will also provide Utricularia-biased book reviews and website recommendations. The grow list that is posted on this website, is a "historical document", as I no longer collect Utricularia. The page also features articles written by Chris Fieger, a fellow Utricularia enthusiast.