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Glite Dictionary
bladderwort

bladderwort

1 9.9
A water plant that catches tiny animals using small bag-like traps
  • noun
  • /ˈblædərˌwɜrt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : utricularia
  • The small pond was filled with various aquatic plants, including bladderwort, which captures tiny creatures in its unique traps.
  • bladderwort flowers

Examples

  • It supports a healthy sampling of the Coastal Plain's carnivorous species: three of the six pitcher plants, three of the six sundews, two of the six butterworts, and at least one of the thirteen bladderworts.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Species associated with it include pitcher plants, sundews, and bladderworts.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In contrast, bladderwort flowers are aerial and possess both a structure and range of pollinators similar to that of terrestrial plants.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Bogs are home to a large number of carnivorous plant species, such as sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and pitcher plants.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Lake aquatic plants include the common bladderwort and white water crowfoot (a type of buttercup), both of which grow entirely underwater except for their blooms.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Also carnivorous, bladderworts have small bladders; attached to an intricate stem system below the water, these bladders can suck in microscopic insects.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In the shallow waters, bladderwort efficiently catches insects using its specialized bladder-like structures.

  • Many gardeners appreciate bladderwort for its fascinating method of trapping small aquatic animals in its bladders.

Synonyms

genus Utricularia
vsbladderwort
  • Specialized
9.9

Fresh water plants that eat small animals using tiny bladder traps

is a single plant rather than a group of species
Utricularia
vsbladderwort
  • Specialized
9.9

A water plant that traps tiny animals in small bladders

is a single plant rather than a broad group of species

Compounds

bladderwort family
  • Specialized
9.8

A group of plants that live in water or bogs and catch and eat small animals

Surface Forms

bladderwort singular
bladderworts plural

Morphology

bladderwort = bladder + wort (semi-transparent) = bladder + wort

The meaning is compositionally 'a plant with bladder-like structures', but 'wort' is an archaic/formulaic element for 'plant' and may be unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

Bladderwort is made of two simple parts: bladder (a small bag) and wort (an old word meaning 'plant' or 'herb'). So a bladderwort is literally a 'plant with little bladders', which fits the water plant that uses tiny bladder-like traps to catch small animals.