fairy aprons

Utricularia dichotoma is a perennial herb with numerous underground trailing stems with bladders 1.5–2 mm (0.06–0.08 in) in diameter. It has absent or a few oval, spoon-shaped to narrow-lanceolate leaves 2–4 mm (0.08–0.16 in) long and up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long. The former is more typical of plants growing in wet soil, the latter of plants growing fully submerged. The flowers are borne on a slender, wiry stem 5–50 cm (2.0–19.7 in) long; they are solitary, paired or in whorls of three or four in clusters near the end of the stem. They are mauve or purple and have a small upper petal and a broader, semicircular lower lip 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) wide with two or three prominent white or yellow markings, and the corolla is 12–22 mm (0.5–0.9 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to April and the fruit is a globular capsule up to 4 mm (0.16 in) wide.

The fairy apron is native to New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia. It occurs on the North and South Islands in New Zealand, as well as Stewart Island / Rakiura, the most southerly location at which a member of this genus occurs. In Australia it is found in all states, but the majority of occurrences is in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It grows in moist and wet locations.

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