Flower:

Raceme of 1 to 6 bright yellow ½ to ¾-inch snapdragon-like blooms at the top of a mostly naked stem. The lower lip is somewhat helmet-shaped and is sometimes shorter than the fanning upper lip, though broader. Two small sharply pointed oval bracts, larger one above and smaller below, along with two scale like bracts are on each side. A downward curving spur is below. Each flower has a short green stalk.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are mostly hidden, integrated within the surface of the mucky soil. Finely branching stems to 6 inches long with 6 to 14 nodes from which extend spidery filamentous foliage and fine fibrous roots, small bladders for capturing micro-organisms are present but nearly impossible to observe without careful examination under a microscope. Flowering stems are green or yellow-green, with a few widely spaced, alternately attached, scale-like leaves, each not more than 1/12 inch long.

Notes:

Another one of Minnesota's carnivorous plant species, Horned Bladderwort is not as widespread as the Common Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza). It is highly restricted to specific  open bog habitats that are exceedingly harder to find in Minnesota. While this species’ range extends to eastern Texas it is more limited to northern Minnesota, more likely due to habitat requirements than cold temperatures. The population in Anoka County is a rather disjunct population within Minnesota, but again it is in a rare habitat enviornment in which it can thrive. There are 7 bladderwort species in Minnesota, most with yellow flowers and similar leaves. Distinguishing features are the size and shape of the spur, the general shape of the flowers, including relative sizes of the upper and lower lips, the bladder size and location. Horned Bladderwort bladders are unseen, the spur is fairly slender and mostly points down, and the lower flower lip may be shorter than the upper, though broader, and the flowers are solid yellow.