Utricularia sandersonii

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 Oliv.
Synonyms
U. sandersonii var. treubii (Kamieński) Kamieński U. treubii Kamieński

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.

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]

A flowering cluster of Utricularia sandersonii.

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 and requires moderate lighting for continuous flowering. It is not able to perform self-pollination, so a male and a female specimen is needed for sexual reproduction, but asexual reproduction by fragmentation is much faster and easier. 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. ^[4]

See also

• List of Utricularia species

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.
4. "Carnivorous weeds in Auckland". Department of Conservation . Retrieved 2022-04-13.