bladderwort [key], any plant of the genus Utricularia, insectivorous or carnivorous aquatic plants, many native to North America. Small animals are caught and digested in bladderlike organs of the finely divided submerged leaves. Bladderworts and similar related genera are an important element of aquatic and marsh flora on all continents. They are sometimes grown in aquariums as curiosities. Bladderworts are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Scrophulariales, family Lentibulariaceae.
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