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Species library › Utricularia › Utricularia aurea
Carnivorous Well documented

Utricularia aurea

Golden bladderwort

The most common and widespread suspended aquatic bladderwort in Asia, ranging from Pakistan and India to Japan, Korea, Malesia and northern and eastern Australia. It floats rootless just below the surface of still or slow water in lakes, pools, swamps and rice paddies, trapping tiny prey in bladders on its finely divided leaves, and raises spikes of yellow flowers above the water. It needs warm, sunny, soft, nutrient-poor but not sterile water.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodAquatic

Where it grows wild

Free-floating (suspended) in lakes, pools, swamps, ditches and rice paddies, in still or slowly flowing fresh water, often among other aquatic plants. The stems float beneath the surface with only the flower spikes emerging.

Recorded elevations run from 1 to 1,770 m, with a median of 60 m (78 records). It is overwhelmingly a lowland plant of floodplains, coastal wetlands and paddies.

Australia: Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, northern New South WalesIndian subcontinent: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, HimalayaMainland South-East Asia: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, MyanmarChina, Taiwan, Hainan, Japan and KoreaMalesia: Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Philippines, Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.