Which aquatic bladderwort is commonly called greater bladderwort?

Which aquatic bladderwort is commonly called greater bladderwort? Utricularia vulgaris is commonly called greater bladderwort.

This free-floating carnivorous plant lives in freshwater and does not anchor itself with true roots. Its finely divided stems carry numerous tiny bladder traps. Each trap can create a vacuum-like pressure difference: when suitable prey triggers the door, water and the organism are rapidly sucked inside.

Utricularia vulgaris is native mainly to Europe and Asia. Its yellow flowers rise above the water on stalks, typically appearing from spring into summer. The underwater stems can grow more than a metre during one season, while winter survival occurs through compact resting structures called turions.

The name can be confusing because related bladderworts occupy similar habitats. In eastern Asia and North America, Utricularia macrorhiza is often the species taking the ecological place of U. vulgaris. “Greater bladderwort” therefore identifies the species in the question, while regional names and older classifications may vary among references.