In November 2021, I found a population of a putative natural hybrid between Utricularia oppositiflora and U. barkeri in the Grampians region.

The upper corolla lip of the hybrid was short and featured vertical striations, although sometimes the patterning was broken. The lower corolla lip was loosely bell-shaped – constricted near the palate before abruptly transitioning to a flared ‘skirt’. The palate featured prominent yellow ridges flanked on either side by purple angular ‘shoulder’ ridges. The bracts were strongly gibbous at the base and lacked a downwards pointing spur. The colour of the corolla was light purple. The fertilised capsule was large and globular. The scapes were long, exceeding 30 cm to elevate the blooms out of the water.

The plants grew in inundated grassland at the shallower edges of the swamp in roughly 30cm of water. This swamp was a standalone system disconnected from other creeks and swamps in the area by forest. The hybrid was very prolific at this site but was not found at nearby swamps.

Characters conferred by the U. oppositiflora parentage include the dark striations on the upper corolla lip, bell shape of the lower corolla lip, globular capsule and bracts that lack a downwards pointing spur. Characters conferred by the U. barkeri parentage include the smaller upper corolla lip, broken striation on the upper corolla lip and prominent shoulder ridges at the palate.