Horned Bladderwort

Flowers are pollinated by bees. (Wells et al, 1999)

This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state. Common names are from state and federal lists. In Illinois horned bladderwort is listed as Endangered. In Indiana horned bladderwort is listed as Threatened. In Ohio horned bladderwort is listed as Endangered. In Tennessee horned bladderwort is listed as Special Concern. (USDA PLANTS, 2009)

Flowering occurs in August. (Peattie, 1930) It flowers in August and September. It often flowers in zones as the water table lower, another group comes into flower. (Weatherbee, 2006) It blooms heavily from late June until August. (Wells et al, 1999)

Bladderworts must re-seed every year and therefore have effective dispersal mechanisms. (Weatherbee, 2006)

It is found throughout the Great Lakes region of the US, particularly in the northerly portion. Its range extends form Newfoundland to Florida, Texas, and the West Indies. (Weatherbee, 2006)

USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , ME , MD , MA , MI , MN , MS , NH , NJ , NY , NC , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VT , VA , WA , WV , WI (NPIN, 2007)

Canada: NB , NL , NS , PE (NPIN, 2007)

Native Distribution: Ontario to Nova Scotia; south to Pennsylvania; west to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Also North Carolina south to Florida, and in e. Texas. (NPIN, 2007)

The plant is insectivorous (utilizing insects as nutrients). Part of the underwater root-like system is modified into tiny bladder-like traps that suck in minute insects with a vacuum action when hairs at the opening in the bladder are triggered. Enzymes or bacteria help to digest the insects. Horned bladderwort is one of the few annuals that grow along Great Lakes beaches. (Weatherbee, 2006) Plants will grow in colonies of many individual flowering stems, carpeting peat mats and beach flats. They feed upon protozoa and tiny creatures in the mud or pond water in which they live. Unlike floating bladderworts, the traps of this plant lie buried in sand, mud, or peat, and perhaps are not as functional as those of the free-floating species. (Wells et al, 1999)

The plant naturally grows at the edges of sloughs, lakes, and rivers, but it is not aquatic. (Peattie, 1930) This is an obligate wetland plant that rarely occurs in modified landscapes. The plants can lodge themselves in mud if water recedes. It grows along marshy shores and in moist or receding low swales. It is a calciphile (alkaline-loving) plant, so it is also found in fens and lake margins. The bright yellow flowers sparkle on the damp sand, and there can be hundreds of plants in flower at the same time. Though small they can be seen from quite a distance. (Weatherbee, 2006) Horned Bladderwort differs from many other bladderworts in being terrestrial rather than aquatic, although it may occasionally be submerged. The native habitat is wet, sandy, muddy, or peaty shores, and bogs. (NPIN, 2007)

This is an annual. (Weatherbee, 2006)

Pinguicula vulgaris (butterwort) looks similar although the leaves are entirely different and much larger. (Weatherbee, 2006)

Overall A plant with yellow, spurred flowers with no apparent leaves growing in shallow water or wet sand. (Weatherbee, 2006)

Flowers Flowers are sessile and yellow. Usually 2 are present, though the number can be 1-5. Each flower bears a large lower lip, and is helmet-shaped, with strongly reflexed sides. A spur is turned downward and outward. Generally the flowers are large, curious, brilliant, and fragrant flowers. (Peattie, 1930) One to six fragrant, yellow flowers bear a spur (or horn) that projects downward. The flower is divided into upper and lower lips. (Weatherbee, 2006) The snap-dragon-like flowers have a spur projecting from the bottom. Each stem bears 1 to several large flowers at a time. (Wells et al, 1999)

Leaves are entire. Although, usually the plant is in a leafless condition. (Peattie, 1930) Leaves are highly dissected and found in whorls along fragile, floating stems. They are often submerged in sand or muck and are threadlike. (Weatherbee, 2006)

Stems are erect and yellowish-green. They may be partially floating. (Weatherbee, 2006) The brownish stalk bears a few scale-like bracts, and flowers near the summit. (NPIN, 2007)

Bladders There are no true roots. Tiny, short-stalked, bladder-like structures act as floats to keep the plant from sinking in deeper water.(Weatherbee, 2006)

Warning: The seeds and foliage of this plant are poisonous and should never be ingested. Sensitivity to a toxin varies with a person’s age, weight, physical condition, and individual susceptibility. Children are most vulnerable because of their curiosity and small size. (NPIN, 2007)

Plant

Flowers The corolla is 1.5-2 cm broad. (Peattie, 1930) The spur is about 7-14 mm (1/4-1/2") long. The upper and lower lips are 13 mm (1/2") long. (Weatherbee, 2006)

Fruit

Stem is 5-30 cm tall. (Peattie, 1930) The stem is 10-25 cm (4-10") tall. (Weatherbee, 2006) Stems are 6-10". (Wells et al, 1999)

Leaves

Utricularia cornuta, the horned bladderwort, is a small to medium-sized, probably perennial carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. U. cornuta is endemic to North America and can be found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, and the United States. It grows as a terrestrial or subaquatic plant in marshes, swamps, and pools in shallow waters, mostly at lower altitudes. It was originally described and published by André Michaux in 1803.

Distribution Map