NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE

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Description: Terrestrial or subaquatic annual or perennial herb. Stolons few, capillary, branched. Rhizoids numerous, capillary, simple.

Leaves 5–20 mm long, linear-lanceolate, single-veined with apex acute. Traps few from peduncle base and stolon nodes, 1.1–2.3 mm long, stalked, ovoid; mouth lateral; dorsal appendage subulate, simple; lateral appendages with deeply fimbriate margin; ventral wings with deeply fimbriate margin.

Inflorescences solitary, erect; peduncle 70–510 mm long, 0.3–1.2 mm thick; flowers in opposite pairs or in a whorl; bract and bracteoles basifixed, non-gibbous at base; pedicels erect, 2–12 mm long. Calyx lobes unequal; upper lobe broadly ovate, 1.5–2 mm long; lower lobe similar but emarginate or entire. Corolla 10–15 mm long, violet; upper lip erect, with dark vertical nerves, obovate, compressed near middle, apex emarginate or entire; lower lip transversely oblong, with apex rounded or rarely 3-lobed, with 2 or 3 raised, yellow ridges basally; spur broad, slightly curved forward, dorsiventrally compressed, shorter or equal to the lower lip.

Capsule globose, 2.5–4 mm long. Seeds obovoid, c. 0.7 mm long.

Flowering: August–April.

Distribution and occurrence: Widely distributed from south-western Western Australia north to Kalbarri WA, to coastal South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. In NSW distributed from Nabiac on North Coast to Sydney Basin and South Coast.

Inhabits shallow seasonal swamps and depressions, and creek-lines in moist heathland.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas. Qld S.A. W.A.

AVH map***

Utricularia oppositiflora has been confused in the past with U. dichotoma. Although U. oppositiflora varies considerably in size (being mostly dependent on water depth), it is largely morphologically consistent, and is always characterised by dark-purple vertical nerves on the upper corolla lip and a broad, dorsi-ventrally compressed corolla spur that is shorter than the lower lip.