| Nymphaea abhayana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
| Genus: | Nymphaea |
| Subgenus: | Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras |
| Species: | N. abhayana |
| Binomial name | |
| Nymphaea abhayana A.Chowdhury & M.Chowdhury [1] | |
 | |
| Nymphaea abhayana is endemic to West Bengal, India [1] | |
Nymphaea abhayana is a species of waterlily endemic to India. [1]
Nymphaea abhayana is an annual aquatic herb. The leaves are almost all submerged. The lamina is 13-15 cm long, and 16-18 cm wide. The green petioles are glabrous. [2] [3]
The 5-6 cm wide flowers float, but never extend above the water surface. The four 3.7-4 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm wide sepals display prominent venation. The seven 2.9-3.5 cm long, 0.5-0.7 cm wide petals display blueish-purple colouration. The androecium consists of 13 stamens. The flowers have 6-7 stigmatic rays. The globose, 0.7-2 cm wide fruit bears globose seeds. [2] [3]
Flowering and fruiting occurs from October to December. [3]
It was first described by Anurag Chowdhury and Monoranjan Chowdhury in 2016. [1] [4]
The type specimen of Nymphaea abhayana was collected by Anurag et al. in Gorumara National Park, West Bengal, India, on the 16th of November 2014. [2]
It is close to Nymphaea nouchali . [2]
The specific epithet abhayana honours Prof. Abhaya Prasad Das [4] [2] of the University of North Bengal and Rajiv Gandhi University. [5]
Nymphaea abhayana has a very narrow distribution. [2] It is a rare species. [3]
It occurs in ephemeral aquatic habitats, which dry up in December. [2]