Utricularia minor

Lesser bladderwort

Family: Lentibulariaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Lesser bladderwort is a native perennial found in the high Sierra Nevada, Modoc Plateau, and California Ranges in shallow, acidic waters at elevations of 800 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from June to September, this aquatic plant produces delicate flowers with a distinctive lower lip more than twice the size of the upper lip. Growing as a rooted or floating aquatic with slender stems, it develops winter buds and forms complex underwater structures with numerous bladders and thread-like leaf segments. Its leaves are intricately divided into 3 parts at the base, with 7 to 22 ultimate segments that are thread-like to flattened. In shallow waters, the plant creates a delicate underwater ecosystem with its unique bladder-bearing stems and finely dissected foliage.

Habitat: Shallow (generally < 30 cm) acidic waters

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 800-2900 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, MP

California counties: Fresno, Plumas, El Dorado, Butte, Nevada, Tulare, Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Modoc, Siskiyou, Placer, Mono

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.