Aldrovanda vesiculosa

Common Name: Waterwheel Plant

Family: Droseraceae

Country of Origin: Darwin, Australia

Description: This species is a perennial, free-floating, rootless aquatic herbaceous plant, with a simple or sparsely branched stem possessing successive whorls of bristled, prey-catching leaves. The leaves are arranged in whorls of 4-9, measuring up to 23 mm in diameter, and are basally fused with a swollen, dorsally flattened petiole that broadens upwards before dividing into 3-8 terminal, filiform bristles of 4-8 mm length. Stem length is dependent upon water quality, prey abundance and irradiance, but is commonly between 6-20 cm. The compact, whorled structure of the species provides the plant with an almost cylindrical appearance, and gives rise to the species common name of the "Waterwheel Plant".⁴

USDA Zone: GEN_COLL

Accession #: 200400164

Accession Date: 2004-09-08 00:00:00

Bloom Status: 🪴 Not Flowering

Location: 2310

Quantity: 1

Source: Matt Opel

Provenance: Darwin, Australia

Culture: Use a large tank in a sunny location, with a layer of peat, sphagnum, and loam on the bottom. Small aquatic animals (snails, daphnia, etc.) control algae and provide prey, and may be introduced along with muck and debris from a pond bottom, or from an established tank. A pot of Typha or some large, easily thinned floating aquatics like Eichhornia, are useful companion plants. Tanks should be carefully flushed with clear or DI water periodically, to prevent the buildup of salts.
Growth should be rapid in warm weather; Darwin Australia is tropical, and Aldrovanda from that locality is definitely at its best in the summer months. The addition of trace elements (esmigram) may be beneficial if growth slows despite appropriate temperatures and lighting. CO2 injection is also appreciated. Keep floating plants thinned.

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subclass: core eudicots

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Droseraceae