Lesser bladderwort
Utricularia minor · Aquatic plants
Flowers or seeds · Photo: ahabo / CC BY
Also called Small bladderwort
How to identify Lesser bladderwort
- Small, slender stems with few, short, flat leaf segments
- Bladders mostly on separate pale stems that creep in the muck
- Small pale yellow flowers on short stalks
Similar plants
Common bladderwort is much larger with many bladders on green leaves, and flatleaf bladderwort has flat leaves with bristly edges.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Grows from winter buds in late spring, flowers in midsummer, and forms new small winter buds in fall that rest on the bottom. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 50 F water |
| Light | Needs clear shallow water with good light |
| Depth | A few inches to 3 feet |
| How it spreads | Stem fragments, winter buds and seeds |
| Habitat | Shallow fens, bog ponds and sheltered lake margins, usually over peat or soft organic mud in cool water. |
Why it matters in a lake
Delicate and easily overlooked; usually a sign of clean, low nutrient water. Rarely forms nuisance growth.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Lamiales |
| Family | Lentibulariaceae |
| Scientific name | Utricularia minor |
Eurasian watermilfoil
Curly leaf pondweed
Brazilian elodea
Coontail
Elodea
Sago pondweed
Leafy pondweed
Common bladderwort
White water buttercup
Slender naiadNeed a hand?
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