The bladderwort: No ruthless microbe killer

A carnivorous water plant with tiny traplike bladders dotting its leaves may not deserve its reputation as a relentless predator, says a Florida scientist.

Floating in water, bladderworts grow filaments that support tiny bladders (lower arrow), about 370 bladders per whorl. Flower stems reach above the water to bloom (upper arrow). Richards

A survey of bladderwort plants in the Everglades found far more bladders harboring living organisms than dead ones, reports Jennifer H.