Utricularia fulva Species Profile

Utricularia fulva Species Profile

Utricularia fulva is a species of affixed aquatic bladderwort notable for its showy displays of tawny-orange blooms. The species is endemic to the Northern Territory, and is typically associated with shallow sandstone creeks.

Utricularia fulva has flowers with a large upper corolla lip that is divided into two large lobes. The lower corolla lip has a bulbous palate with four shallow and wide lobes at the edge. The outermost pair of lobes often curl slightly towards the back of the plant. The spur is narrow and pushed horizontally beneath the lower corolla lip. The flowers are variable in colouration and patterning but typically feature a tawny base with brick-red splotches on the palate. The leaves of the species are grassy and often grow in thick lawns.

U. fulva is widespread in the Top End and is associated with the sandstone escarpment habitats found throughout the Territory. The plants can often be seen at the edge of smaller creeks in fast flowing and exposed areas. It is often present in the proximity of cascades and waterfalls. The species occupies sandy substrates, growing aquatically throughout the wet season. After the onset of the dry season, the water level receeds and exposeds the plants to air, which triggers en mass flowering events.

Note the two-lobed upper corolla lip, bulbous palate and four-lobed lower corolla lip
Drosera burmannii in a lawn of U. fulva
U. fulva by a shallow sandstone-based creek near Jabiru. Note that plants only bloom after beign exposed to air.
Typical habitat growing in sandy accumulations at the edge of shallow creeks
Some specimens with very little red markings
Plants in the Litchfield NP
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