Freshwater
Common bladderwort
Utricularia vulgaris
Lentibulariaceae
Facts
Care
We have no care for this plant yet. If you know how it thrives, you can suggest it.
Range
Native
Lives wild in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baltic States, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burundi, and 34 more countries.
Videos
Utricularia vulgaris - the Common Bladderwort
Oliver KnottSep 17, 2026
More about the species
Description
Utricularia vulgaris (greater bladderwort or common bladderwort) is an aquatic species of bladderwort found in Asia and Europe. The plant is free-floating and does not put down roots. Stems can attain lengths of over one metre in a single growing season, but die back and form turions in winter. The leaves are finely pinnately divided, between one and eight centimetres long and carry many bladder-like traps. The yellow flowers are borne on stalks above the surface of the water between April and August. In eastern Asia and North America, its place is taken by the related species U. macrorhiza.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Lentibularia vulgaris
- Utricularia biseriata
In other languages
- Storblærerot
- Vattenbläddra, Blåsört
- Almindelig Blærerod, Blærerod
- Isovesiherne, Vesiherne
- Greater bladderwort
Articles
All articles
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read
Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to set up a European aquarium5 min read
A coldwater aquarium with European fish and plants, without a heater. The water follows the seasons, and summer heat is the biggest problem.
How to care for aquarium plants3 min read
Light, nutrients and CO₂ in balance, low tech versus high tech, and how to read from the leaves what your plants are missing.