Bladderwort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bladderwort |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| An old drawing of Utricularia vulgaris | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lentibulariaceae |
| Genus: | Utricularia L. |
| Subgenera | |
|
Bivalvaria |
|
| Diversity | |
| 233 species | |
 |
|
| Where bladderworts grow around the world | |
Bladderworts are amazing plants known as Utricularia. They are a special type of carnivorous plant. This means they catch and eat small living things.
There are about 230 different kinds, or species, of bladderworts. You can find them in fresh water or wet soil. Some live on land (terrestrial), while others live in water (aquatic). They grow on every continent except Antarctica. People sometimes grow bladderworts for their pretty flowers. These flowers look a bit like snapdragons or orchids.
Contents
How Bladderworts Catch Food
All bladderworts are meat-eating plants. They catch tiny creatures using special bladder-shaped traps. These traps are like small pouches.
Tiny Traps for Tiny Prey
Bladderworts that live on land usually have very small traps. These traps catch tiny living things. They might eat things like protozoa, which are super small single-celled organisms. They also catch rotifers, which are tiny animals found in water. These small creatures swim in the wet soil where the plants live.
Bigger Traps for Bigger Meals
The traps can be very tiny, about 0.2 millimeters. Some can be as large as 1.2 centimeters. Bladderworts that live in water, like the common bladderwort (U. vulgaris), have bigger traps. These larger traps can catch bigger prey. They might eat water fleas, which are tiny crustaceans. They also catch nematodes, which are small worms. Sometimes, they even catch tiny fish, mosquito larvae, or young tadpoles.
How the Traps Work
Even though bladderwort traps are small, they are very clever. They are some of the most amazing structures in the plant kingdom.
The Speedy Trapdoor
For bladderworts that live in water, the trap works like this:
- The bladder is ready to go, like a vacuum cleaner. It has a low pressure inside.
- Small creatures swim near the trap.
- They might touch tiny trigger hairs on the trapdoor.
- When the hairs are touched, the trapdoor quickly opens.
- The water and the prey are sucked into the bladder.
- The door then closes again very fast.
This whole process happens incredibly quickly. It takes only about ten to fifteen thousandths of a second! That's faster than you can blink.
Images for kids
-
The tip of a bladderwort stem, showing leaves and clear bladder traps.
-
A beautiful Utricularia amethystina flower.
-
Utricularia aurea growing in a rice field in Thailand.
-
Close-up of Utricularia aurea traps.
-
A trap from Utricularia hamiltonii.
-
The flower stem of the aquatic Utricularia inflata floats on water.
.gif)
See also
In Spanish: Utricularia para niños
