New to Nature No 14: Utricularia regia

The beautiful, orchid-like flowers of Utricularia regia disguise its carnivorous habits. This plant, endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur region of the state of Guerrero, Mexico, uses small, bladder-like structures to trap unsuspecting invertebrates that are subsequently digested. Unlike pitcher plants or Venus flytraps, these bladders capture invertebrates underground or underwater. This is the latest of more than 200 species of a genus prized by and cultivated by hobbyists. Quentin Wheeler is director of the International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University