Utricularia sandersonii

Utricularia sandersonii, Sanderson's bladderwort, is a species of flowering plant in the bladderwort family. Originally described and published by the British botanist Daniel Oliver in 1865, it is a carnivorous evergreen perennial, endemic to northern KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei in South Africa.

Utricularia sandersonii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lentibulariaceae
Genus: Utricularia
Subgenus: Utricularia subg. Bivalvaria
Section: Utricularia sect. Calpidisca
Species:
U. sandersonii
Binomial name
Utricularia sandersonii
Synonyms
  • U. sandersonii var. treubii
    (Kamieński) Kamieński
  • U. treubii Kamieński

Description

Up to 50 cm (20 in) tall and broad, it grows as a lithophyte on wet, often vertical rocky surfaces at altitudes from 210 m (689 ft) to 1,200 m (3,937 ft).[1] Carnivory occurs beneath the surface, whereby tiny bladders on underground stems capture the micro-organisms which inhabit saturated soil. The visible parts of the plant are not carnivorous. Above ground it bears quantities of white flowers with pale blue markings, long forward-curved spurs and double lobes which resemble rabbits’ ears.[2]

Cultivation

Utricularia sandersonii thrives in conditions that are relatively easy to replicate at home, and so has become a popular houseplant which can tolerate temperatures down to 1 °C (34 °F), but not freezing. It must be kept moist at all times in full sun. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[2][3]

Invasive plant

U. sandersonii is listed on the New Zealand National Pest Plant Accord since it is an invasive species.

See also

References
  1. Taylor, Peter. (1989). The genus Utricularia - a taxonomic monograph. Kew Bulletin Additional Series XIV: London.
  2. "RHS Plantfinder - Utricularia sandersonii". Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  3. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 103. Retrieved 13 January 2019.


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