Utricularia: Found In Rajasthan
A rare and unique carnivorous plant ‘Utricularia’ has been found in Rajasthan’s Keoladeo National Park in large numbers this season.
- Utricularia (bladderwort) is a genus of carnivorous plantsin the family Lentibulariaceae.
- Currently, 220 listed species occupying temperate and tropical habitats throughout the world, it is the most diverse and widespread genus of carnivorous plants.
- They are characterized by small hollow sacs that actively capture and digest tiny animals such as insect larvae, aquatic worms, and water fleas.
- Bladderworts can be found in lakes, streams, and waterlogged soils around the world, and several areinvasive species that have spread to novel habitats.
- Bladderwort plants lack roots and usually have a horizontal floating stembearing simple or divided leaves.
- Small carnivorous bladders are produced along the stem.
- Bladderworts trap small organisms in their tiny bladders, which have a trap door that is triggered by hairs on the door.
- When prey comes in contact with the hairs, the door opens in a millisecond, sucking the animal in and closing in about 2.5 milliseconds.
- The flowers are bisexual and bilaterally symmetrical.
Keoladeo National Park:
- The Keoladeo National Park, formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan.
