Nuphar | |
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Flowering Nuphar lutea | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Order: | Nymphaeales |
Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
Genus: | Nuphar Sibth. & Sm. |
Type species | |
Nuphar lutea(L.) Sm. [1] | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Nuphar is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-lily (Eurasian species; shared with many other genera in the same family), pond-lily, alligator-bonnet or bonnet lily, and spatterdock (North American species). [3]
Nuphar species are aquatic, [4] perennial, rhizomatous, heterophyllous herbs [5] with branching rhizomes, [6] [5] which are not stoloniferous. [6] The rhizomes bear conspicuous leaf scars. [4] The adventitious roots grow underneath and at the side of the rhizome. [4] The leaves can be submerged, floating, or emergent. [7] [4] The lamina can be ovate, elliptic, [5] orbicular, linear, [6] obovate, or lanceolate. [4] The lamina has an entire margin, [5] [7] but it can be crisped in submerged leaves. [4] The long, [5] flattened, winged, or cylindrical petioles [7] can be pubescent or glabrous. [7] [4]
The solitary, [4] subglobose, [8] [4] diurnal, [6] pedunculate, floating [4] or emergent flowers [6] have glabrous to pubescent peduncles. [7] The flowers have 5-9(-12) [6] yellow, green or red, persistent, [7] oblong, obovate, or orbiculate sepals. [6] The numerous, oblong to spathulate petals [7] are inconspicuous [6] and hidden by the sepals. [4] The yellow or red stamens [6] [8] with strap-like filaments [5] are recurved at dehiscence. [6] The monocolpate pollen grains [8] are 40–71 µm long, and 30.4–60 µm wide. [7] The gynoecium consists of 4–36 [8] fused carpels. [7] [5] The 0.5–5 cm wide, [4] ovoid to urceolate fruit, [5] borne on straight peduncles, [6] bears smooth, exarillate, [5] up to 6 mm long seeds. [6]
The genus NupharSm. was published by James Edward Smith in 1809. [1] [9] The type species is Nuphar lutea(L.) Sm. [1] The genus NupharSm. has several synonyms: NymphonaBubani published by Pietro Bubani in 1901, NenupharLink published by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1822, NymphozanthusRich. published by Louis Claude Marie Richard in 1808, and RopalonRaf. published by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1837. [2] The genus has been divided into two sections: the autonymous section Nuphar sect. Nuphar with Nuphar lutea(L.) Sm. as the type species, [10] as well as the section Nuphar sect. AstylusPadgett published by Donald Jay Padgett in 1999 with Nuphar advena(Aiton) W.T.Aiton as the type species. [11] [10]
The number of species in the genus is still under review. [12] [13] Until the mid-20th century, some botanists treated the genus as just a single variable species (for which the European N. lutea has priority), [7] [14] while some other authorities accepted about a dozen more species on the basis of traditional taxonomic standards. [6] Recent molecular work has shown that there are substantial differences between the Eurasian species (sect. Nuphar) and American species (sect. Astylus), except for North American N. microphylla which clusters with the Eurasian species. [6] [4] Molecular taxonomy has shown conclusively that recognition of so few species is out of the question, and forced an increased number of recognised species; some sources list about seventy. [12] The Kew Gardens plant list includes over twenty accepted species, subspecies and varieties; it also has a similar number as yet unresolved, together with over twenty synonyms. [13]
Nuphar sect. Astylus Padgett [15] [4]
Nuphar sect. Nuphar (autonym) [4]
There also are several interspecific hybrids:
Additional species include:
Numerous fossil species have been described:
Other presumably related fossil taxa, not belonging to the genus Nuphar, have also been described. In 2017, the abundant fossilized seeds of a water lily, known as Notonuphar , were identified in the Eocene-aged La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica. The seed anatomy of Notonuphar closely resembles that of Nuphar, and for this reason, both are thought to be sister genera. Notonuphar is the first relative of Nuphar known to have inhabited Gondwana, and the wide geographic separation of both genera (Notonuphar inhabited Antarctica, while all extant and extinct Nuphar species are known from the Northern Hemisphere) supports the modern range of Nuphar being a relict distribution. [45]
The etymology of the word is: medieval Latin nuphar, from medieval Latin nenuphar, thence from Arabic nīnūfar, thence from Persian nīlūfar, thence from Sanskrit nīlōtpala = blue lotus flower. [46] For botanical gender, the name is treated as feminine. [12] [6]
Nuphar species occur in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers, growing in water up to 5 metres (16 feet) deep; different species are variously adapted either to nutrient-rich waters (e.g. N. lutea) or nutrient-poor waters (e.g. N. pumila ). [47]
Wetland soils are hypoxic, and this genus is known to be capable of temporary growth even in the absence of oxygen. [48] Also there can be mass flow of oxygen-containing air, entering by means of the young leaves, passing through the rhizome, and exiting through the older leaves. [49] Both of these physiological adaptations to flooding are considered typical of many wetland and aquatic plants. [50]
Like many other vigorously growing members of the Nymphaeaceae, some species of Nuphar tend to cover the water surface completely, blocking out the light and thereby killing both submerged plants and less competitive surface-growing aquatics. They also produce alkaloids that have experimentally been shown to be allelopathic, though it is not clear how relevant the compounds may be in the wild. [51]
Birds such as some species of ducks eat Nuphar seeds, and mammals such as beaver and coypu eat the roots of at least some species. Deer eat the flowers and young leaves, [52] and the leaves are grazed by other animals. [53] [54]
Nuphar flowers are pollinated by flies, bees, [55] [56] [57] and beetles. [57] [55]
Nuphar species are less generally useful as food or medicine than various species in the related water lily genus Nymphaea. Claims of the edibility or otherwise of the plant have varied wildly, which might in some cases have reflected errors and confusion, but in the light of the recognition of an increased number of species, the confusion might largely be because hitherto unrecognised species differ in their attributes.
Some species have been used by indigenous peoples. [53] [54] Young shoots and leaves sometimes were cooked but might be too bitter to eat. Whether the roots may be eaten, as is widely reported, is open to doubt; some sources claim that they are too bitter, too full of tannin, or simply too poisonous to eat unsoaked, except when treated for so long that they are not viable as a famine food. All sources however, agree that ripe seeds may be popped or variously used in cookery. They then are pleasant and nutritious, but require a lot of work to harvest and strip from the fruit capsule. To some extent this may be circumvented rotting the fruit under water for three weeks or more, after which removing the seeds is easier. The rotting material however, is very unpleasant to deal with. The flower petals are said to be used in making tea, but it is not clear whether that refers to the petals proper, or to the larger and more conspicuous sepals. The leaves of some species are large enough to be of use in wrapping food, for example in cooking. [54]
Alkaloids in the genus include nupharolutine, nuphamine and nupharidine. [58] The presence of such compounds could explain some of the medicinal uses [53]
There has been growing interest in Nuphar alkaloids, their biological and pharmacological significance and their synthesis in recent decades. It has been speculated that these and other bioactive compounds might be related to some of the folk-medical applications of the plants. [59] [60]
Apart from pharmaceuticals, the leaves of Nuphar are reported to contain sufficient concentrations of tannin to have been widely used for tanning and dyeing leather, and also as a styptic for staunching bleeding. [52] The roots of some species also contain sufficient tannin to have been used for tanning. [54]
The Nymphaeales are an order of flowering plants, consisting of three families of aquatic plants, the Hydatellaceae, the Cabombaceae, and the Nymphaeaceae. It is one of the three orders of basal angiosperms, an early-diverging grade of flowering plants. At least 10 morphological characters unite the Nymphaeales. One of the traits is the absence of a vascular cambium, which is required to produce both xylem (wood) and phloem, which therefore are missing. Molecular synapomorphies are also known.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nuphar variegata is a plant in the water lily family, Nymphaeaceae. It is native to much of Canada and the northernmost of the United States.
Nuphar pumila, the least water-lily or small yellow pond-lily, is an aquatic perennial plant in the Nymphaeaceae family. It is also known as the dwarf water lily since it looks like a smaller Nuphar lutea. while Nuphar pumila has a star-shaped, or lobed form of the stigma disc and glabrous leaf undersides, Nuphar lutea has a round stigma disc and the undersides of its leaves are occasionally fine-haired on the midribs. Its flowers bloom from July to August and are typically pollinated by flies.
Nuphar japonica, known as East Asian yellow water-lily, is an aquatic plant species in the genus Nuphar found in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. It is endangered in Russia. The species was not accepted by The Plant List as of November 2013, which regarded it as an "unresolved name".
Euryale is a genus of flowering plants of the family Nymphaeaceae.
Nuphar sagittifolia, common name arrow-leaved water-lily or Cape Fear spatterdock, is a plant species known only from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Nuphar ulvacea is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to the US-American states Alabama and Florida.
Nuphar orbiculata is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to the US-American states Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.
Nuphar oguraensis is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant endemic to Japan.
Nymphaea subg. Lotos is a subgenus of the genus Nymphaea.
Susiea newsalemae was a species of plant, which occurred in the Late Paleocene period of North Dakota, USA. It is monospecific within the genus Susiea.
Nuphar × porphyranthera is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to Great Britain. It is a hybrid of Nuphar lutea and Nuphar advena.
Nuphar × rubrodisca is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to Canada and the USA. It is a natural hybrid of Nuphar variegata and Nuphar microphylla.
Garasbahia flexuosa is a fossil species of aquatic plant, which occurred in the lower Cretaceous period of Morocco.
Nuphar pumila subsp. sinensis is a subspecies of Nuphar pumila native to China.
Nuphar sect. Astylus is a section within the genus Nuphar native to North America.