Aldrovanda vesiculosa

Ease to Grow: Moderate to ChallengingDormancy: YesNative Range: Peaty Wetlands of Europe, Africa, Asia, and AustraliaZones: 5-9 (4-10) The aquatic Waterwheel Plant, Aldrovanda vesiculosa, is an aquatic, free-floating, rootless carnivorous plant of boggy waters. The rope-like plant contains successive whorls of bristly traps.  Each trap shaped like a small, wide-mouth clam.  There are 4-9 traps per whorl, and each whorl is about 1/2" round, giving the plant a soft rope like appearance. Aldrovanda prefers warm, shallow (8-20"), peaty, dark tea-colored waters rich in tannins and low in nutrients.  It grows best in the sunny partial cover amongst salvinia, water lilies and other emergent plants. The white flowers are small, and on short stalks in late summer. Seeds are rare. Reproduction is typically vegetative. It is a perennial and survives freezing by forming turions (winter buds for aquatics). This variety is native to Japan and is winter hardy. Shipped as a small sprig (or turion in c