Utricularia striata:
My trip started with an interesting, three-day meeting at a
wooded retreat/resort facility in western
North Carolina. I had been to this property once before, and while hiking the margins of a lake on that previous trip I
discovered Utricularia striata, a USA endemic species. On this return trip I brought my little photography aquarium with me,
and spent a few hours one evening photographing the Utricularia.
Utricularia striata has two kinds of shoots. Some are leafy, others are bladderous.
This image shows a few of the leafy shoots. Yes, I know there are many bladders present, but most of the shoot consists of
ferny foliage.
Here is another view of this plant's leafy shoots.
Hmmm. Do you notice that the tip of the shoot has a little curl to it? This is visible on herbarium specimens, too, and I have
found that it is a useful morphological feature; for example it is a good supporting character to look for
when separating U. geminiscapa from U. macrorhiza.
