Utricularia purpurea Walter
Purple bladderwort, eastern purple bladderwort
Purple bladderwort is found in (mostly under) quiet, acidic ponds. Tiny “bladders” attached to submersed leaf segments ingest small aquatic creatures, nourishing the bladderwort, so technically this plant is carnivorous. But the relationship between plant and prey is really a synergy: bladdwort harbors algae, zooplankton, and debris in its bladders, thus both feeding and eating its prey.
Plants: Plants are mostly submersed, up to 3′ (91 cm) in size, floating in shallow water. It lacks roots, but has large networks of tiny leaves that look somewhat like patches of algae.
Leaves: In whorls of 5-7, divided into lacy-looking threadlike segments that divide repeatedly. Many segments have a bladder at the end.
Flowers: In groups of 1-4, thrust above the water surface a 2–6″ (5–15 cm) on bare, maroon stems. Each flower is purple or red-purple, with a yellow spot in the center, and irregularly shaped. Flowers somewhat resemble snapdragons, and are ¼–½″ (7.6–12 mm) in size. They appear from July to September.
Fruits: Round capsules.
Habitats: Wetlands, freshwater swamps and shallow ponds and lakes.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 134
Vesiculina purpurea (Walter) Raf.
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 2½″ (6.8 × 7 cm) 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
7/21/2012 · Kim’s House, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Lentibulariaceae | A family of carnivorous plants containing three genera: Genlisea, the corkscrew plants; Pinguicula, the butterworts; and Utricularia, the bladderworts |
| Genus | Utricularia | From the Latin utriculus, “a small bag or bladder,” the common name of which is bladderwort |
| Species | purpurea | Purple |
Utricularia purpurea description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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