Focus on Utricularia sandersonii

Utricularia flowers are far from being the largest in the plant kingdom, but that does not stop them from being among the most interesting, given their wide variety of shapes and colours. Let’s take a closer look at the flower of Utricularia sandersonii, an easy-to-grow and very floriferous carnivorous plant. With a total length of around 1 cm, it has three petals: one lower and two upper.

The upper petals are narrow, with a purple stripe running down the centre that fades towards the tip. The lower petal is longer and, more importantly, wider than the others. Shaped like an apron, its lower edge is wavy and circular.

At the top, an olive-green mark, forming a semicircle, overlooks another small mark of the same colour, indicating to pollinators the direction to take to reach the tiny stamens. The petals overhang a more or less curved spur. These flowers are nicknamed ‘rabbit’s ears’; it’s easy to see why at first glance!