PURPLE BLADDERWORT 



Scientific name: Utricularia purpurea. 



Identifying features: Plant is submerged in water, although often stranded on 

 mud in drying ponds. Stems support whorls of bladder-bearing branches. Flow- 

 ers are dark pink or purple, sometimes white, with sacklike lower petals, and 

 grow to nearly 1/2 inch across, often smaller; 2 to 5 flowers per stalk. Stalks grow 

 to 4 inches long. 



Flowering period: Mid- April through the warm season of the year. Flowering is 

 most profuse in late spring. 



Distribution: Southeastern Canada and northeastern United States south to south- 

 ern Florida and west to eastern Texas. A few are found in scattered areas far 

 inland. 



Habitat: Swamps, ponds, ditches, sluggish creeks. 

 Distribution in forest: Throughout. 

 Abundance in forest: Common. 



Other information: This bladderwort and the shore bladderwort are the only 

 ones with purplish flowers. The spur on flowers of this species is much less 

 conspicuous than the blunt spur of shore bladderwort flowers and this species 

 has sacklike lower petals. Conditions seem to affect the size of this plant, some 

 specimens being much smaller than typical plants. 



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