Bladderwort

The bladderwort family. The genus includes about 45 species distributed in Europe, northern Asia and North America. They grow along stream banks, in sphagnum bogs; some of them as epiphytes on mosses and trees.

Carnivorous herbaceous plants, growing in water or moist places, with an irregular flower and a two-lipped corolla. The bladderwort's trapping organ is the leaf. On the upper side of the leaf there are stalked glands that secrete a sugary mucilage to attract insects, and sessile glands that produce a mucilage containing a set of enzymes for digesting prey. An insect landing on the leaf becomes stuck to its surface, after which the leaf slowly rolls and the captured insect is digested. Bladderworts are the only members of the family that have retained true roots during the transition to carnivory.

They require high humidity. Bladderwort prefers a sunny or semi-shaded location with sandy soil rich in lime. They are propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seeds are small, with poorly developed endosperm, light-sensitive. They germinate slowly in light at 15° - 22° over a period of 6 months. They do poorly in cultivation. Cuttings are rooted in peat.