U. amethystina

It seems ironic that a plant named for it's amethyst colour is represented in most people's collections by an all-white clone. The scapes tend to abort then start growing again, at least with the clone I grow, under the conditions in which I grow it. It is a highly variable species native to parts of South America.

U. bifida

Although not the most interesting of Utricularia species, U. bifida is easy to grow and flowers easily. It is native to India, Japan and Australia. In India it is also known as "Bengali-Chotajhangi" or "Santali-Arak Jhwar" and is used as a medicine for urinary disorders (Janarthanam 1992). In Japanese it called Mimikaki, meaning "earpick" (reference).

U. bifida

U. bisquamata

Native to Southern Africa and Madagascar, a number a different forms of this highly variable species are currently in cultivation. The variation ranges in colour to mostly white to brightly coloured markings of yellow, lilac and violet. There is also considerable variation in size, from tiny flowers just a few mm across to a giant clone that is referred to (unofficially) as "Betty's Bay", or "Giant Bay" or other similar name.

U. blanchetii

This plant easily rivals or surpasses U. livida or U. sandersonii in terms of floral profusion and ease of cultivation. The hair-like leaves will quickly cover the surface of the medium, and begin sending up scapes approximately 10 cm high, each with multiple purple flowers with delicate dark purple stripes on the upper lip of the corolla.

The is also a white form that is sometimes confused with U. parthenopipes, and there are specimens in cultivation that are labeled as U. parthenopipes that are really just white forms of U. blanchetii. Probably the most dependable way to tell them apart is by examining the upper corolla lip. The upper corolla lip of U. blanchetii is wider than it is long and is rounded with a single slight notch. U. parthenopipes has an upper lip that is as wide as it is long, and it has two notches, dividing it into three shallow lobes.

U. calycifida

U. calycifida provides a welcome change for the beginner who has become bored with smaller species. It is easy to grow, and the frequently produced flowers are quite large and deeply coloured. Most specimens also have leaves with dark red veining, making them attractive even when not in flower.

I find that after about a year in the same pot, U. calycifida will tend to slow down or stop flowering. If this occurs, repotting the a section of the plant in fresh media will encourage the plant to begin flowering again.

There are several named cultivars of U. calycifida available, including the U. 'Lavinia Whateley' shown at right.

U. calycifida


U. 'Lavinia Whateley'

U. chrysantha

One of the multitude of Australian species of Utricularia that are underrepresented in CP collections, U. chrysantha is not just another yellow-flowered Utricularia species. Compared to species such a U. subulata or U. flaccida, the yellow has a much more muted tone, there is a red patch on the palate, and the lobed lower lip of the corolla has a "ruffled" look to it.

I got a specimen of this species from another grower, and it grew very nicely. Eventually it began to flower profusely, and has been doing so for several months. However, there is no evidence of leaves or stolons. It is an annual, according to Taylor, but I hadn't expected it to "self destruct" upon flowering. At least I have the picture...

U. cornuta

U. cornuta is widespread in North America, the Bahamas and Cuba, extending west in Canada to Alberta. It grows submerged in shallow water. The flowers are held on scapes about 30 cm long and the flowers are about 2 cm long. Growers of aquatic species are unlikely to be impressed by U. cornuta's large yellow flowers, but for those of use who grow mainly terrestrial species it offers some welcome variation.

U. dichotoma has recently been found to include U. monanthos and U. novae-zealandia, although I find these plants to be easily distinguishable when in flower. I don't mean to question the validity of the research, only to say that all three species are worth collecting.

U. dichotoma is common in cultivation and produces inflorescences easily 18 in high with a large fan shaped purple lower corolla lip, about with a yellow spot on the palate bulge. The flowers are borne in opposite pairs and a single inflorescence can bear several pairs of flowers

U. monanthos bears a single flower that is about half the size of U. dichotoma on a stalk that is only 1-2 cm long. Lowrie considers a hollow leaf petiole to be diagnostic of this species. The New Zealand variety of U. monanthos in my collection produces leaves that begin near the bottom of the pot, for a total length of nearly 3 in, with only the last 5 mm or so showing above the surface.

U. novae-zealandia's flower is smaller still than U. monanthos, although the peduncle is usually 5-10 cm long. The flower is quite attractive pinkish-white with purple on the lower edge of the lower corolla lip and a yellow markings at the top.

I do not know enough about Australian geography to adequately describe the ranges of these three plants, but in general, U. dichotoma is widespread along the eastern coast of Australia as well as in Tasmania, U. monanthos is an alpine species known from locations in Victoria and Tasmania, and U. novae-zealandia, as it's name suggests is restricted to New Zealand and New Caledonia.

These four species share a strange characteristic in that the flowers have thin vertical appendages that extend up to 5 cm above their tiny flesh-coloured flowers. (You can see a picture of U. dunstaniae at the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society. Now if this wasn't strange enough, two of the species, U. capilliflora and U. dunlopii, have the appendages formed as an extension of the top corolla lobe, while in the other two species they extend from the lower lobe. This seems to indicate two different evolutionary pathways that have resulted in a very similar appearance. It is suggested in Taylor that this similarity is the result of all four plants being pollinated by a common insect.

I do not have any of these four plants in my collection. They are all annuals, and are all notoriously difficult to grow from seed. They have been grown in cultivation, although by growers who are luckier and more skilled than I am.

According to Taylor, the leaves should have lateral branches, making them look pinnate. However my cultivated plants do not show this characteristic, although close inspection shows occasional side-branches.

U. hispida

When not in flower, U hispida is almost impossible to identify as a species of Utricularia, even to the most dedicated enthusiast. It grows slowly and its straggly, long thin leaves occur in small tufts spaced several centimetres apart on the stolons. The flower is more commonly violet or lavender, but the clone that I grow has a light yellow flower with violet only on the palate surrounding the yellow blotch.

A small Australian species with lovely pink flowers. The vegetative parts of U. lateriflora are very delicate (even for a utric), and Taylor claims that they grow quite deeply underground, compared to other Utricularia species, making them difficult to collect for herbaria. I have not observed the stolons growing at any great depth in cultivation.

Another good beginner plant, the lower lip of U. livida's flower varies in colour from white to purple, depending on its exposure to sunlight, (or, of course, the advanced sun-substitute that runs on household current). In the wild, U. livida has a puzzling distribution, occurring both in tropical and South Africa, Madagascar, and also in Mexico. Now how the heck do you suppose that happened?

U. minutissima

U. minutissima seems to be somewhat unusual in cultivation, although considering how easy it is to grow and flower, this won't be the case for long. The flower is fairly small, just 4-5 mm wide, but the mauve, white and yellow markings are quite pretty.

U. multifida

U. multifida use to be called Polypompholyx multifida. However, Peter Taylor felt that the distinction between the Polypompholyx and Utricularia was not strong enough to warrant two genera. The name Polypompholyx still exists as a subgenus within Utricularia.

This species falls into the category of "tricky annuals" - plants that are difficult to germinate, and often refuse to set seed for another generation, and don't produce stolons with which to keep a culture going. At least this has been my experience. It germinated only once of several tries, and it didn't set seed despite my efforts to pollinate it. The flowers are truly beautiful, however, and the effort is worth it.

Another small yellow-flowered Utricularia, U. nana has a slightly more distinctive flower than U. pusilla and U. subulata. Its spur points almost straight down, with the lower corolla lip held about parallel to the substrate.

The most interesting aspect of U. nana is its peduncle. As it grows, the tip remains curled so that the flower bud points down or backwards. After fertilization, the pedicel bends into an "S" shape, with the enlarged lower calyx lobe forming what seems to be a "basket" for the seeds.

U. nephrophylla

The the most diminutive member of the group Iperua which contains the giants U. humboldtii and U. reniformis, U. nephrophylla very much a scale model of it's larger brethren. The flower is only about 1.5 cm wide, and the leaves are round or kidney-shaped leaves up to 1 cm wide. It has only flowered once in my collection, although several scapes formed. It is native to Brazil.

U. odorata

True to its name, the flower of U. odorata has a pleasant aroma. It is also one of the longest lasting flowers I have seen. A single scape on my plant lasted for several months. It grows in wet grassland in southeast Asia and northern Australia.

U. pusilla

U. pusilla produces tiny, bright yellow flowers more or less continuously, although never more than a few at a time. Widespread over Central and South America, as well as Antilles, it grows in wet sandy savannah.

It is closely related to U. subulata, but is easy to tell apart. In addition to a number of more subtle differences, U.pusilla will have sterile bracts (small, reduced leaves, with no flowers in the axil) on the peduncle between flowers, while U. subulata will not.

U. sandersonii is a perfect species for the beginning collector. How can you go wrong? It grows even more easily than other species and it is almost constantly producing neat little bunny-eared flowers. It was my first Utricularia species, and I remember it being quite a revelation when it began to flower. It is native to South Africa where it grows as a lithophyte (i.e.. on rocks).

U. subulata is the most widespread of all Utricularia species. It grows in a variety of habitats everywhere from Ecuador to chilly Nova Scotia, Canada. And this prodigious fecundity does not stop in cultivation - it is a common weed in CP collections. In my experience, it almost always produces unattractive cleistogomous flowers (flowers that do not open completely, but still produce seed).

It is often championed as a fantastic plant for beginners but I would not recommend it to anyone (why, when you could have U. sandersonii instead?).

I have expelled U. subulata from my collection as not only does it consistently mock me with its non-flowers, but it then threatens to spew millions of seeds, and spread its obnoxious progeny around my terrarium.

U. tridentata's oval to round leaves are similar to, but somewhat smaller than U. tricolor (a more common species in cultivation). I recently had a crisis with the identification of this plant, thinking that it was in fact, the closely related U. amethystina. I'm back to thinking that it's U. tridentata again. I think that my confusion was based on a misinterpretation of what Taylor meant by lower corolla lip being "considerably shorter than the spur". Although on my plant the lower lip is shorter than the spur, I don't think that it is considerably shorter. Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.

U. tridentata is found tropical South America, in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, north of which it is replaced by U. amethystina.

Two closely related species, and, while U. graminifolia is certainly the more attractive cousin, U. uliginosa is much freer with its charms, flowering nearly continuously throughout the year. The two species are easy to tell apart when in flower: U. graminifolia has light blue to pink flower with puffed out palate and a long spur, while U. uliginosa has a purple and white flower, with a small bulge on the lower lip of the corolla and a shorter spur.

Both are widely distributed from India to China, although U. uliginosa's range extends to Japan and Australia.

Another native of tropical and South Africa, this one has really long scapes. Mine has already hit the top of my 18 in tall terrarium and is still growing. It's also twining so its uncoiled height must be closing in on two feet by now. Apparently this species occurs in both a large flowered erect form or a small flowered twining form, with many specimens that are intermediate between the two. Mine seem to be the small twining form.

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