Thanks Rawat Ji. for the information and excellent photos. BRS
On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 2:03 PM, D.S Rawat <[email protected]>wrote: > Bladdertworts or Utricularias are insectivorous plants; no matter how > small are they. This *Utricularia striatula* Smith (Lentibulariaceae) is > a tiny plant reaching to a height of only 3 cm. It grows along with mosses > on moist rock faces with dripping water in shady conditions or on tree > trunks. Basal part of the inflorescence axis produces few creeping > branches-stolons, which bear small insect trapping devices evolved by this > genus during evolution. These traps are named variously- urceoli, ampullae, > vesiculae, utriculae, pitchers, bladders etc. The traps shown here are > hardly 1-1.5 mm large with a mouth (orifice) encircled by many appendages > (hair like structure). > > True leaves are absent in *Utricularia* and green photosynthetic organs > are referred as foliar organs which are present at the base of > inflorescence axis or on stolons here. > > In vegetative state *U.striatula* is very difficult to differentiate due > to small size and only becomes noticeable when flowers appear on erect > 2-3cm tall inflorescence axis. Flowers are comparatively larger being 7-10 > mm including spur and colourful. > > This species is widespread in India and reaches to Tropical Africa to > Malesia, China and Sri Lanka. > > 35 species of *Utricularia* are reported by M.K.Janarthanam and A.N.Henry > in their fine document “*Bladderworts of India*” published by Botanical > Survey of India in 1992. It was this document and help of these authors > which enabled me to identify my specimens as *U.brachiata* Olive in 1999, > a very rare Himalayan terrestrial bladderwort and was a new record to > Western Himalaya. > > Photographs shot near Jeolikot on way to Naini Tal in August 2013. > > With so minute bladders and even smaller mouth how much small insect will > it trap and digest? Whatever it may eat, it is happy and flourishing in its > habitats. > DSRawat Pantnagar > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- *B. Rathinasabapathy Ecologist* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
