Un-IDed Aquatic Utric - lots of it!

[EdaxFlamma]

Hello all!

Found this little colony (this is less than an eighth of it) growing in a garden center pond section interspersed among the normal pond plants. The owner said he didn't know what it was and would be happy if I took it off of his hands! I would go back and get the rest but I just don't have the space for it. My only problem is I don't know what species it is. There were no flowers but it almost looks like there are two species in there but I have no idea where to start on trying to ID them myself. Any ideas?

 

[Aslam]

Here's what I'm gathering from the pics and your description: 1. It's a LARGE bladderwort, not something like U. gibba.You didn't zoom in or something on the bladders, right? 2. It's probably a temperate species, since it's in Virginia. 3. Probably native to Virginia, if it colonized itself into the guy's pond. 4. noticed in the last pic, a curve in the 'stem' formation. This might not mean a thing, but in Barry Rice's book, page 150, lower left hand corner, showed a pic of a blaaderwort also curved like this. He identifies it a U. Geminiscapa, which is native to N. America, is temperate, and grows in VA! It is also a suspended aquatic. The only problem with me guessing it, is that I can't find out how big the bladders get, so I might be wrong! They could be 1 mm across, or they could be 10 mm across for all I know! Okay, I'm calm now. I think they're U geminiscapa, but this is my first time IDing a bladderwort so wait for others to give their advice.

Good growing!
Aslan

 

[EdaxFlamma]

I guess a size would have helped... haha. The big bladders measure about 1/16 of an inch. Not sure if that helps but *shrugs* I'll just hope for a flower!

 

[cp-connection]

Pages 345-346 in Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada (Schnell) might help you. I'm going to guess U. geminiscapa too! What prize are you offering?

 

[Aslam]

LOL! I meant that I couldn't find what size U. Geminiscapa bladders got to, not your 'Utric X'! I was trying to look it up, since some Utrics have larger bladders than others, and I wanted to make sure that U. geminiscapa had larger-sized bladders like yours! Knowing the size of 'Utric X's' bladders sure help, though..
You did say that you only got about an 1/8 of it out of the guy's pond.... Anyways, I'm glad someone else guessed the same thing I did. That means I might be correct! Better than when I thought a N. Mira was a N. Truncata....
Has anyone observed suspended aquatics hybridizing? Then this IDing would get REALLY complicated!
By the way, you might want to put some peat or peat:sand on the bottom of the growing container, since thay sometimes also grow as affixed aquatics. Some utrics who are both only flower/flower more often if they're affixed in soil, like U. gibba. That would also give it something to eat, since peat has dormant Daphnia in it. (I read that somewhere, I'm 100% positive.)

Good growing!
Aslan