Species library › Utricularia › Utricularia sandersonii
Carnivorous Well documented

Utricularia sandersonii

Sanderson's bladderwort

A small evergreen terrestrial bladderwort from South Africa that grows on wet, often vertical, shaded rock faces, where tiny bladders on underground stems trap microscopic prey in the saturated film of soil and moss. Above ground it shows only small spoon-shaped leaves and a near-continuous show of white to pale lilac flowers shaped like rabbit heads. It is one of the easiest carnivorous plants to grow: keep it permanently wet, bright and frost-free.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It grows on damp to dripping rock faces and seepage slopes, often vertical cliffs in wooded sandstone gorges, where a thin layer of moss, algae and silt stays saturated. A Krantzkloof Nature Reserve herbarium label reads: on shaded, damp and wet rock faces of Natal Group sandstone at about 400 m.

Recorded from about 210 m to 1200 m in Taylor's monograph; the gorge records near Durban sit around 400 m. Few GBIF records carry an elevation.

KwaZulu-NatalCape Provinces

🔒 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.