Bladderwort 'Utricularia sandersonii'

Utricularia sandersonii has its natural habitat in South Africa. The bladderwort grows there on steep impenetrable vertical slopes in between rocks and crevices. Once it made its way to New Zeeland where this species became quite invasive up to the point of becoming a pest. The flowers of this carnivore look suspiciously like another invasive species from New Zeeland, the rabbit. It can blossom up to 50 flowers at a time, looking spectacular in its white and light purple colours. The leaves of Utricularia sandersonii are round and shape a closely packed foliage which hide its traps.

Utricularia sandersonii is the ideal plant for novices and more experienced bladderwort cultivators, due to how easy it is to take care of it. In optimal conditions it will grow into a tightly packed carpet of flowers. A high humidity of 80% is advisable. You can keep this humidity high in a terrarium or by using a bell jar to cover the plant. It can also be kept in a pot of water on the windowsill. Utricularia sandersonii needs a lot of light, so place it in an open spot. Make sure the temperature during the day is 24⁰C to 25⁰C and around 16⁰C at night. If you want to keep the plant in a pot, you can do this using a mixture of peat moss and perlite. You can find this and other components in our ‘Plant Accessories’ section. Keep the substrate moist at all times.