| Utricularia section Stylotheca | ||
|---|---|---|
| Species | Range | Habit1 |
| U. guyanensis | Central and South America | T |
| 1T=terrestrial. | ||
Q: About Utricularia subgenus Utricularia section Stylotheca
A: A strange section, built around a single species with a flower
that is so bizarre it screams for separation
from the rest of the species in the genus. That said, the rest of the plant is conventional and does not merit special
recognition at the subgeneric level.
Utricularia guyanensis
At first glance, you might not think this yellow-flowered species is particularly
peculiar, at least until you pulled the lower corolla lip down and looked inside. The anthers are unlike those of any other species
in the genus, and even family! (OK, maybe you could argue that the beserkly strange
U. choristotheca has somewhat similar anthers, but not really...) Unlike the short, curving filaments
produced by other Utricularia, the filaments of this species are long, bent, and dip down into the spur before
rising back out. The style is similarly bent. Clearly there is some kind of peculiar pollination biology going on.
Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a; Taylor, P. 1989; personal observations.
