Utricularia viscosa is a small to medium sized perennial, terrestrial or subaquatic carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia and is the only member of Utricularia sect. Sprucea. U. viscosa is native to Central America (Belize and Nicaragua) and South America (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela). It grows as a terrestrial or subaquatic plant in wet sandy savannas at lower altitudes but as high as 900 m (2,953 ft) in Guyana.