296 THE PINGUICULA FAMILY. [Utricularia. 



leafless flower-stem arising out of the water from a tuft of the floating 

 branches. Calyx deeply 2-lobed. Corolla spurred as in Pinguicula, but 

 the mouth is closed or nearly so by the convex palate, the lobes of the 

 lips being turned back. Capsule globular, opening in 2 valves. 

 A considerable genus, dispersed over nearly the whole world. 



Bladders interspersed with the leaves. 



Flowers of a rich yellow, about 6 to 8 lines long. Spur conical . 1. U. vulgaris. 



Flowers of a pale yellow, not 4 lines long. Spur very short . 2. U. minor. 



Bladders on separate branches from the leaves . . . . 3. U. intermedia. 



1. Utricularia vulgaris, Linn. (fig. 667). Common B. — The root- 

 like floating branches extend to a length of 6 inches to a foot or more, 

 bearing numerous capillary, much divided leaves, from \ to 1 inch long, 

 and more or less interspersed with little green vesicles. Flower-stems 

 6 to 8 inches high, bearing a few rather large yellow flowers. Bracts 

 at the base of the pedicels, and lobes of the calyx, broad and thin. 

 Corolla with a short, conical, more or less curved spur, and a broad 

 convex palate ; the upper lip very short, scarcely projecting beyond the 

 palate ; the lower lip much longer, thrown back from the palate ; the 

 lateral lobes turned downwards. 



In deep pools and water-channels, in Europe, Asia, and America, 

 from the Arctic Circle to the tropics. Widely distributed over Britain, 

 although not a common plant. Fl. summer, A slender variety, U. ne~ 

 glecta, Lehm., with long pedicels remaining erect after flowering, and 

 the upper lip of the corolla projecting beyond the small palate, has 

 been found in the south-eastern counties of England. 



2. Utricularia minor, Linn. (fig. 668). Lesser B. — Differs chiefly 

 from U. vulgaris in the small size of all its parts. The floating branches 

 are very slender, those of the flowering plant usually 2 or 3 inches long, 

 but when barren often longer, and intricately branched ; the leaves 

 small, very fine, very few forked lobes, and seldom more than 1 or 2 

 bladders to each, or often without any. Flowers scarcely more than 

 half the size of those of U. vulgaris, of a pale yellow, with the lower 

 lip much flatter ; the spur usually reduced to a short, broad pro- 

 tuberance. 



Appears to be as widely spread over northern and central Europe, 

 Kussian Asia, and northern America as U. vulgaris, but not extending 

 so far to the southward. Rather common in Britain. Fl. summer. 



3. Utricularia intermedia, Hayne (fig. 669). Intermediate B. — 

 Intermediate in size between U. vulgaris and U. minor, and distinguished 

 from both by the leaves crowded into tufts at the ends of branches 

 without bladders, the bladders being few, and placed at the ends of 

 leafless branches. Flowers of a pale yellow, larger than in U. minor, 

 with a much more prominent spur. 



In central arid western Europe, much more rare than the preceding 

 species. Local in Britain, indicated in Dorsetshire, Hants, Norfolk, 

 and Westmoreland, whence it extends to the north of Scotland ; found 

 also in Ireland. Fl. summer. 



The Snowdrop-tree (Halesia) from North America, and the Styrax from 

 south-eastern Europe and western Asia, both occasionally to be met 

 with in our shrubberies and plantations, belong to the small Styrax 



