Euryale ferox

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Euryale ferox
Euryale ferox kz06.jpg
Flowering Euryale ferox cultivated in the Botanischer Garten Berlin-Dahlem
Euryale ferox.jpg
Botanical illustration of Euryale ferox from Curtis's Botanical Magazine (1812).
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Euryale
Salisb.
Species:
E. ferox
Binomial name
Euryale ferox
Synonyms [2]
  • Anneslea spinosa Andrews
  • Euryale ferox f. ussuriense Regel
  • Euryale indica Planch.

Euryale ferox, commonly known as prickly waterlily, [3] makhana, or Gorgon plant, is a species of water lily found in southern and eastern Asia, and the only extant member of the genus Euryale. The edible seeds, called fox nuts or makhana, are dried, [a] and eaten predominantly in Asia.

Contents

The plant is cultivated for its seeds in lowland ponds in India, China, and Japan. The Indian state of Bihar produces 90% of the world's fox nuts. The Chinese have cultivated the plant for centuries. In India, more than 96,000 hectares of Bihar were set aside for cultivation of Euryale in 1990–1991. In the northern and western parts of India, the seeds are often roasted or fried, which causes them to pop like popcorn.

Description

Euryale ferox grows in fresh water ponds, producing flowers with white inner petals and violet outer petals. The leaves are large, round and peltate, often more than a meter (3 feet) across, with a leaf stalk attached in the centre of the lower surface. The leaves are deep green; the leaf veins are purplish. The stems and leaves are covered in sharp prickles. It can be grown in shallow water or rich soil. It does not tolerate shade or cold. [4] [5]

Reproduction and genomics

Self pollination can occur. Pollen is released before the flower opens. [6] The majority of Euryale ferox flowers are cleistogamous, not opening for cross-pollination, though some normally-opening (chasmogamous) flowers do occur. [7]

The chromosome count is n = 29. The genome size is 870.42 Mb. [8] The chloroplast genome is 159930 bp long. [9]

Cultivation

Makhana being lightly roasted, ready to eat Foxnut Makhana - Nawada District - Bihar - 1.jpg
Makhana being lightly roasted, ready to eat

The seeds [10] and petioles are used as food. [11] The plant is cultivated for its seeds [12] in lowland ponds in India, China, and Japan. The Chinese have cultivated the plant for centuries. [13] [ page needed ] In India, more than 96,000 hectares of Bihar, where it is called Mithila Makhana, were set aside for cultivation of Euryale in 1990–1991. [14] Bihar produces 90% of the world's fox nuts. [12] In the northern and western parts of India, Euryale ferox seeds are often roasted or fried, which causes them to pop like popcorn. [15] These are then eaten, often with a sprinkling of oil and spices. They are also used in other types of cooking, especially to make a porridge or pudding called kheer. [5] The seeds are used in Cantonese soup, [16] in Ayurveda preparations, and in traditional Chinese medicine. [12]

Evidence from archaeobotany indicates that Euryale ferox was a frequently collected wild food source during the Neolithic period in the Yangtze region, with many finds from the sites of Kuahuqiao, Hemudu, and Tianluoshan. [17] The earliest recorded use of E. feroxis from Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, among artifacts of the Acheulean culture 750–790,000 years ago. [10]

Fox nuts have traditionally been harvested by diving without breathing equipment to a depth of 8 feet (2.4 m) in freshwater ponds. This is arduous, with skin hazards from mud and the plant's thorns. In the 21st century, the National Research Centre for Makhana has pioneered the plant's cultivation in fields flooded to a depth of 1 foot (0.30 m) which makes production and harvesting easier. The area of land devoted to fox nut production has increased to 87,000 acres (35,000 ha) by 2022. The centre has developed a more productive variety, increasing farm income, and is designing a harvesting machine. [18]

Taxonomy

The species was described by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1805. It is a member of the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. [2] It is the type species of its genus. [19] The placement in a separate family Euryalaceae J.Agardh, which was proposed by Jacob Georg Agardh in 1858, [20] [21] has been rejected. [21] [22] Unlike other water lilies, the pollen grains of Euryale have three nuclei. [23]

The genus is named after a mythical Greek Gorgon, Euryale. [14] The specific epithet ferox means fierce or ferocious. [24]

Distribution

Euryaleferox is a perennial plant native to a range from northern India to Taiwan and far eastern Russia. [25]

Recently, E. ferox has been recorded in Serbia, Europe. It was probably dispersed to Serbia through migrating birds. [26]

Conservation status

The species is classified on the Red List of endangered plants in Japan and given the designation "vulnerable". [7] [27] It is classified as species of Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [1] However, a population decline on the global scale has been reported. [7] It is classified as vulnerable (VU) in South Korea. [28]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Also called gorgon nut.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nymphaeaceae</span> Family of plants

Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains five genera with about 70 known species. Water lilies are rooted in soil in bodies of water, with leaves and flowers floating on or rising from the surface. Leaves are oval and heart-shaped in Barclaya. Leaves are round, with a radial notch in Nymphaea and Nuphar, but fully circular in Victoria and Euryale.

<i>Victoria</i> (plant) Genus of aquatic plants

Victoria or giant waterlily is a genus of aquatic herbs in the plant family Nymphaeaceae. Its leaves have a remarkable size: Victoria boliviana produces leaves up to 3.2 metres (10 ft) in width. The genus name was given in honour of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

<i>Nymphaea</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Nymphaea is a genus of hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some taxa occur as introduced species where they are not native, and some are weeds. Plants of the genus are known commonly as water lilies, or waterlilies in the United Kingdom. The genus name is from the Greek νυμφαία, nymphaia and the Latin nymphaea, which means "water lily" and were inspired by the nymphs of Greek and Latin mythology.

<i>Nymphaea alba</i> Species of water lily

Nymphaea alba, the white waterlily, European white water lily or white nenuphar, is an aquatic flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to North Africa, temperate Asia, Europe and tropical Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water caltrop</span> Genus of flowering plants

The water caltrop is any of three extant species of the genus Trapa: Trapa natans, Trapa bicornis and the endangered Trapa rossica. It is also known as buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod, ling nut, mustache nut, singhara nut or water chestnut.

<i>Victoria amazonica</i> Species of plant

Victoria amazonica is a species of flowering plant, the second largest in the water lily family Nymphaeaceae. It is called Vitória-Régia or Iaupê-Jaçanã in Brazil and Atun Sisac in Inca (Quechua). Its native region is tropical South America, specifically Guyana and the Amazon Basin.

<i>Nymphaea nouchali <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> caerulea</i> Species of plant

Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali.

<i>Nuphar</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Nuphar is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-lily, pond-lily, alligator-bonnet or bonnet lily, and spatterdock.

Qian shi may refer to:

<i>Nuphar lutea</i> Species of flowering plant

Nuphar lutea, the yellow water-lily, brandy-bottle, or spadderdock, is an aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae, native to northern temperate and some subtropical regions of Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. This species was used as a food source and in medicinal practices from prehistoric times with potential research and medical applications going forward.

<i>Nuphar advena</i> Species of aquatic plant

Nuphar advena is a species of Nuphar native throughout the eastern United States and in some parts of Canada, such as Nova Scotia, as well as Mexico and Cuba. It is locally naturalized in Britain.

<i>Nymphaea nouchali</i> Species of aquatic plant

Nymphaea nouchali, often known by its synonym Nymphaea stellata, or by common names blue lotus, star lotus, red water lily, dwarf aquarium lily, blue water lily, blue star water lily or manel flower, is a water lily of genus Nymphaea. It is native to southern and eastern parts of Asia, and is the national flower of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In Sanskrit it is called utpala. This species is usually considered to include the blue Egyptian lotus N. nouchali var. caerulea. In the past, taxonomic confusion has occurred, with the name Nymphaea nouchali incorrectly applied to Nymphaea pubescens.

<i>Nuphar pumila</i> Species of flowering plant

Nuphar pumila, the least water-lily, is a perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic herb in the family Nymphaeaceae native to subarctic and temperate Eurasia.

Bihar lies in the river plains of the basin of the river Ganga. As a result, its land contains fertile alluvial soil and groundwater resources. This makes the agriculture of Bihar rich and diverse. Rice, wheat, and maize are the major cereal crops. Arhar, urad, moong, gram, pea, lentils, and khesaria are some of the pulses cultivated in Bihar. Bihar is the fourth largest producer of vegetables, which is dominated by potato, onion, eggplant, and cauliflower. In fruit cultivation, it is the largest producer of lychee and the third largest producer of pineapple, as well as a major producer of mango, banana, and guava. Sugar cane and jute are two other major cash crops of Bihar.

<i>Euryale</i> (plant) Genus of aquatic plants

Euryale is a genus of flowering plants of the family Nymphaeaceae.

<i>Nymphaea tetragona</i> Species of water lily

Nymphaea tetragona is an aquatic perennial, species of flowering plant commonly called pygmy waterlily and small white water lily, belonging to the family Nymphaeaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mithila Makhana</span> Special food of Mithila

Mithila Makhana is a special variety of aquatic fox nut cultivated in Mithila region of Bihar state in India and in Nepal.

<i>Nymphaea rubra</i> Species of water lily

Nymphaea rubra is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Sri Lanka and northeastern India to western and central Malesia. Additionally, it has been introduced to regions such as Southeast China, Cuba, Guyana, Hungary, and Suriname.

<i>Nymphaea pygmaea</i> Species of water lily

Nymphaea pygmaea is a controversial species of perennial, aquatic herb in the family Nymphaeaceae native to Asia.

Euryale yunnanensis is a fossil species of Euryale from the Late Miocene of Yunnan, China.

References

  1. 1 2 Zhuang, X. 2011. Euryale ferox. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T168756A6535154. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T168756A6535154.en. Accessed on 03 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Euryale ferox Salisb". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Lee, Sangtae; Chang, Kae Sun, eds. (2015). English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. p. 466. ISBN   978-89-97450-98-5 . Retrieved 7 March 2019– via Korea Forest Service.
  4. ↑ "Euryale ferox Foxnut, Euryale PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. 1 2 "Euryale ferox (Foxnut, Gorgon Plant, Makhana, Prickly Water Lily)". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  6. ↑ Povilus, R. A., Losada, J. M., & Friedman, W. E. (2015). "Floral biology and ovule and seed ontogeny of Nymphaea thermarum, a water lily at the brink of extinction with potential as a model system for basal angiosperms." Annals of Botany, 115(2), 211-226.
  7. 1 2 3 Imanishi, A.; Imanishi, J. (2014). "Seed dormancy and germination traits of an endangered aquatic plant species, Euryale ferox Salisb.(Nymphaeaceae)" (PDF). Aquatic Botany . 119: 80–83. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2014.08.001.
  8. ↑ Chen, Fei; Liu, Xing; Yu, Cuiwei; Chen, Yuchu; Tang, Haibao; Zhang, Liangsheng (2017). "Water lilies as emerging models for Darwin's abominable mystery" (PDF). Horticulture Research. 4 (1): 17051. Bibcode:2017HorR....417051C. doi:10.1038/hortres.2017.51. PMC   5626932 . PMID   28979789.
  9. ↑ Guo, Z.; Min, J. (2020). "Characterization the complete chloroplast genome of Euryale ferox (Nymphaeaceae), an medicinal plant species in China". Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 5 (3): 2389–2390. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2020.1775516 . PMC   7782232 . PMID   33457802.
  10. 1 2 Goren-Inbarand, N.; Melamed, Y.; Zohar, I.; Akhilesh, K.; Pappu, S. (2014-10-11). "Beneath Still Waters – Multistage Aquatic Exploitation of Euryale ferox (Salisb.) during the Acheulian". Internet Archaeology (37). doi: 10.11141/ia.37.1 . Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Khapudang, Ringshangphi; Loukrakpam, Lanchenbi Chanu; Jadaun, Sadhana; Sharma, Usha; Siddiqui, Saleem (2024). "Wild Edible and Wetland Plants of Manipur: Their Sustainable Food Usage". Sustainable Food Systems (Volume I). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. pp. 107–129. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-47122-3_6. ISBN   978-3-031-47121-6.
  12. 1 2 3 "Flora of China: Euryale ferox". efloras.org. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Mabberley, D. J. (1987). The Plant-book . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-34060-1.
  14. 1 2 Lariushin, Boriss (2012). Solanaceae family. Boriss Lariushin. p. 17. ISBN   978-1478191834.
  15. ↑ "Are popped lotus seeds the next popcorn?". Foodnavigator. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  16. ↑ Liu, Yujing; et al. (2018). "Plants traditionally used to make Cantonese slow-cooked soup in China". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 14 (1): 4. doi: 10.1186/s13002-018-0206-y . PMC   5769313 . PMID   29334976.
  17. ↑ Fuller, D. Q.; Qin, L.; Zheng, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, X.; et al. (2009). "The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice: Spikelet bases from the Lower Yangtze". Science. 323 (5921): 1607–1610. Bibcode:2009Sci...323.1607F. doi:10.1126/science.1166605. PMID   19299619. S2CID   21357179.
  18. ↑ Gupta, Priti (13 August 2024). "The 'superfood' taking over fields in northern India". BBC . Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Euryale Salisb". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Euryalaceae J. Agardh". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  21. 1 2 Reveal, J. L.; Chase, M. W. (2011). "APG III: Bibliographical information and synonymy of Magnoliidae". Phytotaxa . 19: 71–134. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.19.1.4.
  22. ↑ "Euryalaceae J.Agardh, 1858". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  23. ↑ Cronquist, Arthur (1981). An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants . New York: Columbia University Press. p.  111. ISBN   978-0-231-03880-5.
  24. ↑ "Datura ferox". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. n.d. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Euryale ferox Salisb". Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  26. ↑ Živković, M.; Pejčić, L.; Paskaš, N.; Bajić, A.; Šipoš, Š.; Perić, R.; Novakovic, B. (February 2023). First recent record of Prickly Waterlily (Euryale ferox) Salisb. (Nymphaeaceae) in freshwaters of Europe. 44th International Association for Danube Research Conference, Krems, Austria.
  27. ↑ Kumar, Nitish; Rani, Shweta; Kuamr, Gaurav; Kumari, Swati; Singh, Indu Shekhar; Gautam, S.; Choudhary, Binod Kumar (25 October 2018). "Physiological and biochemical responses of Makhana (Euryale ferox) to gamma irradiation". Journal of Biological Physics. 45 (1): 1–12. doi: 10.1007/s10867-018-9511-x . PMC   6408554 . PMID   30361812.
  28. ↑ Kim, S. B., ed. (2014). "Korean red list of threatened species" (PDF). National Institute of Biological Resources.

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