Utricularia inflexa

Utricularia inflexa comes from tropical and subtropical Africa and Madagascar; this bladderwort has no roots and floats at the water surface.¹ The species is found at altitudes of up to 1700 m in shallow waters that are still or flow only slowly.¹ The pale green or dark red stems reach up to 1.5 m in length; the bladder traps measure no more than 2 mm.¹

The bright yellow, usually red-striped flowers open one after another on an inflorescence that bears six to nine narrow, air-filled floats at its base; these are regarded as an adaptation to moving water.¹ In the aquarium this very large species propagates without problems and grows well; as with U. stellaris, an algae-free tank and plenty of light matter most.¹ It reached the aquarium hobby in 1980 with plants from Tanzania.¹