The Carnivorous Plant FAQ Field Trip Report -

Explorations in the Borderlands, 2002

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Only a Geek Could Love...
Visitors to the Pine Barrens seeking carnivorous plants are often bedazzled by the various Utricularia, and say weak things like "This photo shows an unidentified Utric species." This is quite inexcusable! The bladderworts are, with few exceptions, quite easy to identify.

In this pond that Dave took me to, we found Utricularia subulata, U. gibba, U. striata (pictured above), U. inflata, and U. purpurea. Utricularia striata is easily identified because of the nature of its dimorphic branches. Note that some are brown and leafy (with bladders), while others are white and bladder-bearing. This isn't the only New Jersey species that has dimorphic leaves, but there are other characteristics you can use to separate those other species.

Dave told me that he used to visit this lake when he was a kid. It wasn't until later that he became interested in carnivorous plants, and he realized that the lakeweed he used to pelt his two sisters with was really something cool.

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Revised: October 2007
©Barry Rice, 2005