Purple Bladderwort is a short-lived carnivorous perennial native to wet sites, ponds, ditches, and slow-moving water in eastern Canada and the U.S.A. and the coastal areas of NC. Purple Bladderwort is a submersed aquatic plant that is rootless and free-floating. The stems can be up to 3 feet long with floating leaves produced in whorls of five to seven. The leaves are branched into numerous slender segments and appear lacy. The bladders are small and roughly spherical and are attached at the tips of the leaf segments. The flowers are purple or lavender 1/3 to 1/2 inch long and are on stalks that emerge several inches above the water. More information on Utricularia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 8 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Brown/Copper; Green
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves occur in whorls of 5 to 7 with bladders at the tips of leaves. They are branched into slender segments giving it a lacy look. Greenish to brown in color.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Racemes of 1-5 snapdragon-like purple flowers atop naked reddish stems from May to September. 1/3 to ½ inch long, the lower lip is 3-lobed, white at the base with a spot of yellow in the center. The upper lobe is as wide but shorter. A curved spur is present below the lower lip that is yellowish to white.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit detail
Fruit displays from July to October.
Stem detail
The stems are submerged and can grow 3 feet long
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada, central and eastern U.S.A.
Wildlife value
This plant attracts birds, flies, butterflies, and moths.