Utricularia subulata

Zigzag bladderwort

Family: Lentibulariaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Zigzag bladderwort is a naturalized perennial found in northern California coastal regions, specifically Mendocino County, in moist acid wetlands at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from June to September, this carnivorous plant produces small flowers 5 to 10 millimeters long with a distinctive lower lip nearly twice the size of the upper lip. Growing with thread-like stems that creep through wet substrates, it forms delicate, flattened leaves less than 20 millimeters long and 1 millimeter wide. Its leaves are remarkable for containing tiny bladder-like traps that capture and digest small aquatic organisms, with each stem bearing multiple bladders. The plant's slender flower stalks can reach 5 to 25 centimeters long, emerging from its intricate network of thin, creeping stems.

Habitat: Moist acid wetlands, introduced with other carnivorous plants by horticulturists

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: NCo (Mendocino Co.), possibly elsewhere

California counties: Mendocino

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