A small seasonal wetland plant can carry a surprisingly large flower. In Utricularia petertaylorii, the broad violet lower lip creates a conspicuous display above a modest rosette. Its resemblance to two other bladderworts once raised a question about hybrid origin; field study eventually established a species with its own combination of characters.
Name and botanical identity
Utricularia petertaylorii Lowrie is accepted by Kew's Plants of the World Online. Allen Lowrie published the name in Nuytsia in 2002. Kew records its native range as south-western Western Australia and lists no synonyms or accepted infraspecific taxa on the retrieved record. Kew POWO.
In the classification followed by this encyclopaedia, it belongs to section Pleiochasia within subgenus Polypompholyx. Reut and Płachno, supplementary species table.
The species honours Peter Taylor, author of the major 1989 monograph of Utricularia. Taylor had suggested that an unusual population might represent a hybrid swarm involving U. inaequalis and U. violacea. Lowrie's subsequent work found consistent populations and no supporting evidence for that proposed hybrid identity. Lowrie's original description, 2002.
A rosette beneath a broad flower
The original description records an annual without stolons, with a basal rosette approximately 14–20 mm across. Its narrow leaves have rounded ends, and its traps sit among the leaves. Flowering stems reach about 2.5–10 cm. The violet lower corolla lip is kidney-shaped, 10–20 mm wide, with a wavy margin; the deeply divided upper lip forms two rounded lobes. Original botanical description.
Boaz Ng's field photographs show how the broad lower lip can become particularly ruffled in larger flowers. Yellow ridges and purple markings draw attention to the palate near the floral entrance. His account describes a spur broad at its base and narrowing towards a rounded end. Ng's field profile, 2022.
Habitat and flowering season
Ng records the species mainly from the Perth Hills, with occurrences south towards Manjimup and east towards Lake Muir. Habitats include fine sediments in creek flats and shallow substrates or moss pads on flatter granite outcrops. These sites are wet in winter and dry by summer; flowering accompanies the warming and drying conditions of spring. Field habitat account.
Lowrie observed flowering in October and November, with most capsules containing mature seed by late November or early December. Plant numbers at a monitored site varied with rainfall between years. These are observations from Western Australian habitats, not a fixed flowering deadline for every cultivated plant. Phenology and population observations.
Separating similar species
Ng contrasts the broad, largely undivided lower lip with the more triangular outline of U. inaequalis and the generally smaller, shallowly three-lobed flower of U. violacea. Use those visible differences as a starting point, then check the formal description: flower size alone can be misleading. Field comparison.
A documented route from seed
Sean Spence reported success with this species using late-summer sowing in Melbourne, equal parts peat and sand, and water initially level with the surface. Seeds began in a cool, dim location; light increased after germination. He found extreme heat pretreatment unnecessary. Spence, VCPS 78, 2005, pp. 12–14.
That is a grower's successful method, rather than a controlled test of the optimum conditions. If adapting it, record the seed date and the actual seasonal change in your growing space. Late summer in a heated room may not produce the cooling pattern experienced in Melbourne.
Keeping the next generation
The annual life cycle makes mature seed an important part of maintaining the accession. Keep each seed lot linked to its parent plants and record any hand pollination or possible mixing with another species. Assess the whole sequence from germination to ripe capsules; flowers alone do not show that the next generation has been secured.
Reviewed 22 September 2026. Botanical description, field observations and reported cultivation are identified separately.
