[3][4][5] While the species displays a degree of morphological plasticity between populations, A. vesiculosa possesses a very low genetic diversity across its entire range.

[citation needed] The actual traps consist of two lobes which fold together to form a snap-trap similar to that of the Venus flytrap, except that it is smaller and located underwater.

[13] The small, solitary white flowers of A. vesiculosa are supported above the water by short peduncles which arise from whorl axes.

Due to the rapid growth rate of this species, countless new plants can be produced in a short period of time in this fashion.

At the onset of winter, the growth tip starts producing highly reduced non-carnivorous leaves on a severely shortened stem.

This results in a tight bud of protective leaves which, being heavier and having released flotational gases, breaks off the mother plant and sinks to the water bottom, where temperatures are stable and warmer.

[15] Aldrovanda vesiculosa is the second most widely distributed carnivorous plant species, only behind members of the genus Utricularia, native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

[16] A. vesiculosa prefers clean, shallow, warm, standing water with bright light, low nutrient levels, and a slightly acidic pH (around 6).

[citation needed] The Waterwheel (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) thrives in a range of aquatic habitats, including small fens, peat-bog pools, billabongs, lakes, lagoons, and river deltas.

These plants are commonly found in shallow backwaters or the littoral zones of larger lakes, where they face less competition from other aquatic species and where water levels remain relatively stable throughout the growing season.

The Waterwheel is highly intolerant of habitat degradation, and even minor changes in water chemistry can lead to local extinction.

[17] When Carl Linnaeus published his Species Plantarum in 1753, the "i" was dropped from the name (an apparent copying error)[18] to form the modern binomial.