About Utricularia purpurea Walter
Utricularia purpurea, commonly known as the eastern purple bladderwort, is a medium-sized suspended aquatic carnivorous plant in the genus Utricularia. This species is endemic to North and Central America. It has been proposed that U. purpurea may have partially lost its tendency for carnivory. Richards conducted an extensive field study of this species in 2001, and noted that the trapping rates of the prey that Utricularia typically consumes were significantly lower for U. purpurea than for other species in the genus. Richards concluded that this species can still trap and digest arthropod prey using its specialized bladder traps, but it does so only sparingly. Instead, U. purpurea hosts a community of algae, zooplankton, and debris inside its bladders, which suggests the species favors a mutualistic interaction rather than a traditional predator-prey relationship. U. purpurea has leaves arranged in whorls or alternately. Its scapes can reach up to 5 decimeters, which is approximately 20 inches, in height.
