<p><strong>Ease to Grow:</strong> Moderate to Challenging<br><strong>Dormancy:</strong> Yes<br><strong>Native Range:</strong> Peaty Wetlands of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia<br><strong>Zones:</strong> 5-9 (4-10)</p> <p>The aquatic Waterwheel Plant, <em>Aldrovanda vesiculosa,</em> is an aquatic, free-floating, rootless carnivorous plant of boggy waters. The rope-like plant contains successive whorls of bristly traps.  Each trap shaped like a small, wide-mouth clam.  There are 4-9 traps per whorl, and each whorl is about 1/2" round, giving the plant a soft rope like appearance.<em> Aldrovanda</em> prefers warm, shallow (8-20"), peaty, dark tea-colored waters rich in tannins and low in nutrients.  It grows best in the sunny partial cover amongst <a href="https://carnivorousplantnursery.com/products/salvinia" title="Salvinia">salvinia</a>, <a href="https://carnivorousplantnursery.com/products/red-dwarf-water-lily" title="Link to Dwarf Pink Water Lily">water lilies</a> and other emergent plants. The white flowers are small, and on short stalks in late summer. Seeds are rare. Reproduction is typically vegetative. It is a perennial and survives freezing by forming turions (winter buds for aquatics). This variety is native to Japan and is winter hardy. Shipped as a small sprig (or turion in cold weather) in water. Sprigs grow rapidly in good conditions.</p> <p>The genus is monotypic with only one species.  Similar to the classification of the Venus Flytrap (1 genus, 1 species). Aldrovanda can be considered a living fossil, since its lineage dates back to the Tertiary, tens of millions of years ago. <em>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</em> var. <em>rubescens</em> is a red form that occurs from Australia, and single locations in Botswana and Hungary.  <span>Cultures may contain small amounts of </span><span>other aquatic plants.</span></p> <p><span>Photographs are representative of species and not the specific Waterwheel carnivorous plant for sale. In it's dormant season, it will be shipped as a dormant turion. </span></p> <p><strong>Height:</strong> 1",<strong> Length:</strong> 2-10+"<br><strong>Plant Type:</strong> Perennial, cold temperate<br><strong>Soil:</strong> Peaty bog water, dark tea color<br><strong>Light:</strong> Bright to partial bright indoors, full sun to dappled shade outdoors.<br><strong>Use:</strong> Grows well in the bog pool, greenhouse and indoors. Helps control mosquito larva.</p>