Plant Profile: Utricularia purpurea

Purple Bladderwort is a short-lived carnivorous perennial that thrives in wet environments such as ponds, ditches, and slow-moving waters across eastern Canada and the United States, as well as in the coastal regions of North Carolina. This aquatic plant is unique in that it is rootless and floats freely beneath the surface. Its stems can reach lengths of up to three feet, featuring whorls of 5 to 7 floating leaves. These leaves are intricately branched into many slender segments, giving them a delicate, lacy appearance. Small, roughly spherical bladders are located at the tips of the leaf segments. The plant produces purple or lavender flowers, measuring between one-third to one-half inch in length, which rise several inches above the water on slender stalks.