Utricularia singeriana is a Northern Territory bladderwort whose purple flowers have a striking maroon underside. Its modern identity requires care: Western Australian plants formerly included under this name were separated as U. baliboongarnang in 2022.
Name and classification
Utricularia singeriana F.Muell. is accepted by Kew. The original publication is cited as Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 24: 76, dated 1890 but published in 1891. Kew lists U. pachyceras O.Schwarz, published in 1927, as a synonym. No accepted infraspecific taxa are displayed in the consulted record. Kew describes an annual of the seasonally dry tropical biome. Kew taxon record.
The species belongs to section Pleiochasia within subgenus Polypompholyx. Comparative species table.
Recognising the revised species
The 2022 redescription gives a terrestrial annual with rounded-tipped, spoon-shaped to narrowly reversed-lance-shaped leaves. Hollow flowering stalks stand 12–31 cm high and bear one flower. Corollas measure 15–27 mm: purple or violet above, dark maroon beneath. The fan-shaped lower lip has a white base and yellow or orange marking. The broad-based spur ends in a flattened, notched tip; the flower stalk remains erect after flowering. Traps measure 1.5–3.3 mm. Baleeiro and Jobson, 2022.
Photographs for identification should show the flower face, its underside and the spur in profile. Record leaves and the relationship between the flowering stalk and substrate. A face-on photograph alone cannot show all the characters used in the revised description.
Why older range maps disagree
The revision restricts U. singeriana to the Northern Territory, with records near Darwin, Jabiru, Finnis River and Edith River, plus Groote Eylandt. Western Australian plants previously included are U. baliboongarnang. It also identifies mixed-species illustrations in Taylor's earlier monograph. Wet sandy seepages, swamps and creek margins are recorded, with flowering March–June. Revised distribution and habitat.
Kew's displayed range still includes northeastern Western Australia and cites Taylor's 1989 treatment for distribution. This profile follows the later revision for the species boundary. An old Western Australian label should be checked against that revision before being copied into a collection record. Kew distribution and source.
Seasonality and conservation
The Mount Todd flora and fauna management plan, dated 2022, reports the species as Vulnerable under Northern Territory legislation. It describes seasonally waterlogged drainage margins with sparse grasses and sedges. Targeted searches did not locate the species in assessed areas, but the report explicitly cautions that failure to detect this cryptic plant does not establish absence. Its brief flowering period affects survey success. These are dated assessment findings; a current official listing should be checked before publication. Mount Todd management plan.
Cultivation and propagation
No repeatable species-specific cultivation or germination trial was established from the sources reviewed. Habitat descriptions alone do not justify fixed temperature limits, a substrate recipe or a prescribed drying treatment.
For a legally obtained accession, retain the original provenance and identification history. Record emergence, flowering, capsule development and subsequent germination separately. A flowering plant does not by itself demonstrate that viable seed has been produced or that the accession can be maintained across seasons.
Research checked 23 September 2026. Current conservation listing and cultivation evidence remain open checks. Text-only draft; image identity and rights require verification. No Nano Nursery stock availability is implied.
