• You are here:
• Dichotomous Key
• Lentibulariaceae
• Utricularia
• Utricularia purpurea

Utricularia purpurea — eastern purple bladderwort

Facts

Eastern purple bladderwort is found in shallow water of lakes and ponds in all New England states. It is a rootless, free-floating plant, and gets its name from the purple flower that is held above the water surface on a stout stalk. Its bladders are located at the tips of the leafy branches.

Habitat

Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds)

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther color

  there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers

  Carpels fused

  the carpels are fused to one another

  Flower lower lip length

  4–10 mm

  Flower number

  1–4

  Flower position

  the flowers are above the surface of the water

  Flower symmetry

  there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)

  Inflorescence type

  • the inflorescence has only one flower on it
  • the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)

  Length of peduncle

  20–100 mm

  Nectar spur

  the flower has nectar spurs

  Number of carpels

  2

  Ovary position

  the sepals and/or petals are attached below the ovary

  Palate on corolla

  yes

  Petal and sepal arrangement

  the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures

  Petal appearance

  the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)

  Petal color

  • purple
  • red

  Petal fringed edges

  the petals are not fringed

  Petal fusion

  the perianth parts are fused to form a tube, cup, or bell shape

  Petal hairs on inner/upper surface

  there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface

  Petal length

  10 mm

  Petal number

  2–5

  Petal or sepal number

  • there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
  • there are two petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower

  Pistil number

  1

  Sepal appearance

  the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture

  Sepal number

  2

  Sepals fused only to sepals

  the sepals are separate from one another

  Spur length

  2–5 mm

  Stamen number

  1 or 2

  Stamen position relative to petals

  NA

  Stamens fused

  the stamens are not fused to one another

  Stamens fused to petals

  the stamens are fused near the bases of the petals or tepals

  Style length

  At least 0 mm

  Style number

  0–1

• Fruits or seeds

  Fruit type (general)

  the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe

  Fruit type (specific)

  the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)

• Glands or sap

  Oil glands on nodes

  none of the nodes have oil glands

  Sap

  the sap is clear and watery

• Growth form

  Lifespan

  • the plant lives more than two years
  • the plant lives only a single year or less

  Root septa

  the roots do not have transverse septa

  Roots floating in water

  there are no clusters of roots floating in the water

  Turions

  the plant has turions

  Underground organs

  NA

• Leaves

  Bract position (Sparganium)

  NA

  Bract relative length

  At least 1379 mm

  Bracts

  the flowers or their pedicels have bracts at their bases

  Floating leaf basal lobes

  NA

  Floating leaf blade width

  0 mm

  Floating leaf length

  0 mm

  Floating leaf shape

  NA

  Floating leaf tip

  NA

  Floral bract form

  the bracts are much more lobed, or much less lobed, than the foliage leaves

  Leaf arrangement

  whorled: there are three or more leaves per node along the stem

  Leaf blade veins

  the lateral veins radiate from the base and continue to spread away from the centerline of the leaf, or branch off the central vein at intervals

  Leaf position

  the leaves are all submerged underwater

  Leaf special features

  the leaves have bladder-like traps

  Leaf-like branch segments

  0

  Leaf-like branch shape

  the leaf-like branches are round

  Specific leaf type

  • the leaf is divided into two equal parts which in turn are divided into two further parts; each of these parts are divided and each of these may be further divided
  • the leaf is divided into two equal parts, with five or more levels of division
  • the leaf is divided into two equal parts; these parts may also be divided into two further parts

  Staminate bract edge (Myriophyllum)

  NA

  Stipule appearance

  NA

  Stipule fused to leaf

  NA

  Stipules

  there are no stipules on the plant

  Stipules fused around stem

  NA

  Underwater leaf air passage number

  At least 1439

  Underwater leaf air passage relative width

  At least 4336

  Underwater leaf air passage row number

  0

  Underwater leaf blade edges

  the underwater leaf has smooth edges, without teeth

  Underwater leaf blade shape

  • NA
  • the underwater leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides

  Underwater leaf blade veins

  1–3

  Underwater leaf stalk

  yes

  Underwater leaf tip shape

  the tip of the underwater leaf is acute (sharply pointed)

  Veins in floating leaf

  0

• Place

  Habitat

  aquatic

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  in lakes or ponds

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Flowering stem growth form

  the flowering stem is upright

Wetland status

Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae