Utricularia, commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species. They occur in fresh water and wet soil as terrestrial or aquatic species across every continent except Antarctica. Utricularia are cultivated for their flowers, which are often compared with those of snapdragons and orchids, especially amongst carnivorous plant enthusiasts.
Utricularia sect. Lecticula is a section in the genus Utricularia that was originally described as genus Lecticula in 1913 by John Hendley Barnhart. The two species in this section are small subaquatic carnivorous plants that are distinguished by the unique bracts, which are basifixed and tubular. Both species are native to North and South America.
Utricularia resupinata, popularly known as lavender bladderwort or northeastern bladderwort, is a small perennial subaquatic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. It is native to eastern Canada, the United States, and Central America. This plant species has an interesting etymology, growth pattern, ecology, and research history. As a plant that is threatened or endangered in many of the States where it is found, it is a candidate for sound conservation efforts.
Utricularia sect. Orchidioides is a section in the genus Utricularia. The species in this section are small or medium-sized terrestrial or epiphytic carnivorous plants native to Central and South America. Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle originally published this section in 1844. In 1916, John Hendley Barnhart moved the section to its own genus, Orchyllium, recognizing that the species in this section are distinct. Several other botanists, including Henry Gleason, considered the treatment of these species in the genus Orchyllium valid and moved other species from Utricularia to Orchyllium. Ultimately the species were all reunited under Utricularia.
Utricularia podadena is a small, probably perennial, terrestrial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia and is the only member of Utricularia sect. Candollea. U. podadena is endemic to Malawi and Mozambique, being known only from the type location in Malawi and from one other collection in Mozambique. As of Peter Taylor's 1989 monograph on the genus, more recent efforts to locate this species have failed. It was originally published and described by Taylor in 1964 and placed in its own section, Candollea, in 1986. It grows as a terrestrial plant in marshy grasslands in the presence of Loudetia species at altitudes of around 1,000 m (3,281 ft). It flowers in July. It is a very distinct plant in the genus with the long stipitate glandular trichomes covering the flower. Its affinities within the genus are not clear.
Utricularia mannii is a small, perennial, epiphytic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia and is the only member of Utricularia sect. Chelidon. U. mannii is endemic to tropical Africa, particularly the islands in the Gulf of Guinea and the adjacent mainland. It grows as an epiphytic plant on mossy tree trunks in rain forests at altitudes from 500 m (1,640 ft) to 2,100 m (6,890 ft). It has been collected in flower between April and November. It was originally published and described by Daniel Oliver in 1865 and placed in its own section, Chelidon, in 1986 by Peter Taylor.
Utricularia subg. Bivalvaria is a subgenus in the genus Utricularia. It was originally described by Wilhelm Sulpiz Kurz in 1874. In Peter Taylor's 1989 monograph on the genus, he reduced the subgenus to synonym under section Oligocista, a decision that was later reversed in the light of molecular phylogenetic studies and the subgenus was restored.
Utricularia sect. Avesicarioides is a section in the genus Utricularia. The two species in this section are small rheophytic carnivorous plants native to western Africa. Sadashi Komiya originally described and published this section in his 1973 taxonomic treatment of the genus. Peter Taylor revised and refined the section in his 1989 monograph on the genus.
Utricularia sect. Enskide is a section in the genus Utricularia. The two species in this section are small to medium-sized terrestrial carnivorous plants native to Australia and New Guinea. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque originally described and published this section as a separate genus in his 1838 taxonomic treatment. Peter Taylor refined the section and placed it within subgenus Utricularia in his 1986 monograph of the genus. Later molecular data resulted in the revision of Taylor's treatment, reinstating subgenus Bivalvaria and placing this section within it.
Utricularia sect. Stomoisia is a section in the genus Utricularia. The two species in this section are small to medium-sized terrestrial carnivorous plants native to North, Central, and South America. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque originally described and published this section as a separate genus in his 1838 taxonomic treatment. Otto Kuntze reduced the genus to its current status as a section in the genus Utricularia in 1903. Peter Taylor later refined the section, placing it in subgenus Utricularia in his 1986 monograph of the genus, also bringing one of Rafinesque's other genera, Personula, into synonymy with the new section. Later molecular data resulted in the revision of Taylor's treatment, reinstating subgenus Bivalvaria and placing this section within it.
Utricularia sect. Australes is a section in the genus Utricularia. The three species in this section are small terrestrial carnivorous plants native to Australia and New Zealand. Peter Taylor originally described and published this section in his 1989 taxonomic treatment of the genus, splitting off species from section Meionula. Taylor originally placed this section within subgenus Utricularia. More recent phylogenetic data and revisions have reinstated subgenus Bivalvaria and have placed this section within it.
Utricularia sect. Nigrescentes is a section in the genus Utricularia. The three species in this section are small terrestrial carnivorous plants native to tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. Daniel Oliver originally validly described and published this section in 1859, but did not specify the rank used by the group. Sadashi Komiya revised the section in 1973. Peter Taylor, in his 1989 taxonomic monograph on the genus, placed this section within subgenus Utricularia. More recent phylogenetic data and revisions have reinstated subgenus Bivalvaria and have placed this section within it.
Utricularia fimbriata is a small to medium-sized, probably perennial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. fimbriata is endemic to Colombia and Venezuela. It grows as a terrestrial plant in damp, sandy soils in savannas at altitudes from near sea level to 300 m (984 ft). It was originally described and published by Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1818. In 1913, John Hendley Barnhart treated this species as part of a new genus, Aranella, which was later reduced to the taxonomic rank of section within the genus Utricularia, thus bringing the species back to the original genus.
Utricularia simulans, the fringed bladderwort, is a small to medium-sized, probably perennial, carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. simulans is native to tropical Africa and the Americas. It grows as a terrestrial plant in damp, sandy soils in open savanna at altitudes from near sea level to 1,575 m (5,167 ft). U. simulans was originally described and published by Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger in 1914.
Utricularia sect. Calpidisca is a section in the genus Utricularia. The ten species in this section are small terrestrial carnivorous plants native to Africa with one species extending its range into Mexico and another that extends into Asia as far as India. John Hendley Barnhart originally described and published this section in 1916 as a separate genus, Calpidisca. Sadashi Komiya revised the genus Utricularia in a 1973 taxonomic review and placed Barnhart's genus at the rank of section within Utricularia. Peter Taylor then published his taxonomic monograph of Utricularia in 1986 in which he placed Komiya's section within subgenus Utricularia. More recent phylogenetic data and revisions have reinstated subgenus Bivalvaria and have placed this section within it.
Utricularia sect. Oligocista is the largest section in the genus Utricularia. The 42 species in this section are small to medium-sized terrestrial carnivorous plants native throughout the tropics, with six species in the Americas, ten in Africa, five in Australia, and the remainder in Asia, with 17 mostly native to peninsular India. Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle originally described and published this section in 1844. Peter Taylor published his taxonomic monograph of Utricularia in 1986, in which he placed this section within subgenus Utricularia. More recent phylogenetic data and revisions have reinstated subgenus Bivalvaria and have placed this section within it.
Utricularia simmonsii is a small annual or perennial terrestrial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia and is the only member of Utricularia sect. Minutae. U. simmonsii is endemic to Australia and is only known from a few locations in the Northern Territory and Queensland. It and the section Minutae were originally published and described by Allen Lowrie, Ian D. Cowie, and John Godfrey Conran in 2008. It was named in honor of Paul Simmons, who discovered the species in Queensland in 2005.
Utricularia sect. Phyllaria is a section in the genus Utricularia. The sixteen species in this section are small or very small lithophytic or epiphytic carnivorous plants native to the mountains of Asia, ranging from India to China and New Guinea. One species, Utricularia striatula, is an exception and is widespread in much of the Old World tropics. Wilhelm Sulpiz Kurz originally described and published this section as Utricularia subg. Phyllaria in 1874. Franciszek Kamieński reviewed the genus in 1891 and reduced Kunz's subgenus to a section. Later botanists, including Peter Taylor, agreed with Kamieński's assessment. In Taylor's 1986 revision of the genus, he placed this section in subgenus Utricularia. Later molecular data resulted in the revision of Taylor's treatment, reinstating subgenus Bivalvaria and placing this section within it.
Utricularia sect. Setiscapella is a section in the genus Utricularia that contains small or medium-sized terrestrial or subaquatic species. Most plants in this section are endemic to Central and South America with the exceptions of Utricularia stanfieldii, which is endemic to Africa, and Utricularia subulata which is almost pantropical. It was first described by John Hendley Barnhart in 1916 at the rank of genus. In 1973, Sadashi Komiya reduced the genus to a subgenus of the genus Utricularia. In his 1986 monograph on the genus, Peter Taylor reorganized the genus and reduced this to the rank of section.
The Genus Utricularia: A Taxonomic Monograph is a monograph by Peter Taylor on the carnivorous plant genus Utricularia, the bladderworts. It was published in 1989 by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) as the fourteenth entry in the Kew Bulletin Additional Series. It was reprinted for The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1994.
