Nymphaea elegans

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Nymphaea elegans
Nymphaea elegans (21253922251).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea
Subgenus: Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras
Species:
N. elegans
Binomial name
Nymphaea elegans
Hook., 1851 [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Castalia elegans (Hook.) Greene 1888
  • Leuconymphaea elegans (Hook.) Kuntze 1891
  • Nymphaea mexicana A.Gray 1852

Nymphaea elegans, also known as the tropical royalblue waterlily, [2] [3] is a species of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to the United States (Louisiana, Florida and Texas), Mexico, and the Bahamas. It has been introduced to Colombia. [1] Additionally, it has been reported to occur in Argentina. [4]

Contents

Description

This species has unbranched rhizomes, which do not produce stolons. The petiole does not have any trichomes. The upper leaf surface is green, the submerged side of the leaf is purple. [5]

Reproduction

The fragrant flowers are protogynous. During the first day of flowering they are functionally female. In following two days they are functionally male. [6]

Taxonomy

Type specimen

The type specimen was collected from a pond near the head of Leona River in 1849 by Charles Wright in Texas, USA. [6] [7]

Etymology

The specific epithet elegans means fine, elegant, or handsome.[ citation needed ]

Ecology

Herbivory

Nymphaea elegans is a food source of sandhill cranes in Texas, USA Sandhill Crane JCB.jpg
Nymphaea elegans is a food source of sandhill cranes in Texas, USA

Nymphaea elegans has been reported to be an important food plant of sandhill cranes in Texas, USA. It makes up 8.7% of their diets volume. [8]

Uses

It finds use as a medicine and for food. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nymphaeales</span> Order of flowering plants

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.

<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.

<i>Nymphaea gigantea</i> Species of plant in the family Nymphaeaceae

Nymphaea gigantea, commonly known as the giant waterlily or blue waterlily, is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Nymphaeaceae which is native to parts of northern and eastern Australia, and it has been widely cultivated elsewhere. It is an aquatic plant whose natural habitat is permanent and semi-permanent still water bodies

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

Nymphaea dimorpha is a species of waterlily endemic to Madagascar.

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

Nymphaea glandulifera is a species of waterlily native to tropical America.

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

Nymphaea prolifera is a species of waterlily naturally found from Mexico to Brazil and northeastern Argentina. Additionally, it has been reported to occur in Uruguay.

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

Nymphaea gardneriana is a species of waterlily native to Cuba and tropical South America.

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

Nymphaea potamophila is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Venezuela to northern Brazil. Additionally, it has been reported to occur in Colombia.

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

Nymphaea oxypetala is a species of waterlily native to Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela. It is a remarkable species with excessively acuminate and acute sepals and petals.

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

Nymphaea rudgeana is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Mexico to tropical South America.

Nymphaea tenuinervia is a species of waterlily native to Colombia, Guyana and Brazil.

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

Nymphaea jamesoniana is a species of waterlily native to the USA, Mexico, and tropical South America.

Nymphaea belophylla is a species of waterlily native to Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela.

Nymphaea conardii is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Southern Mexico to tropical South America.

Nymphaea × thiona is a species of waterlily native to the US-American states Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Additionally, it has been introduced to Costa Rica, as well as the US-American states Kentucky, and Nevada. It is a natural hybrid of Nymphaea mexicana and Nymphaea odorata.

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

Nymphaea hastifolia is a species of waterlily native to the Northern Territory, and Western Australia.

<i>Nymphaea <span style="font-style:normal;">subg.</span> Brachyceras</i> Subgenus of flowering plants

Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras is a subgenus of the genus Nymphaea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Nymphaea elegans Hook". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  2. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (n.d.). Tropical Royalblue Waterlily. Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://www.fws.gov/species/tropical-royalblue-waterlily-nymphaea-elegans
  3. NRCS. "Nymphaea elegans". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  4. Tur, N. M. (2006). "Nymphaea elegans (Nymphaeaceae) nueva cita para la flora Argentina." Hickenia, 3, 42-167.
  5. Nymphaea elegans Hook. (n.d.). SEINet. Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=27921&clid=83
  6. 1 2 Schneider, E. L. (1982). "Notes on the floral biology of Nymphaea elegans (Nymphaeaceae) in Texas." Aquatic Botany, 12, 197-200.
  7. Nymphaea elegans | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/171178-2
  8. 1 2 Guthery, F. S. (1975). Food Habits of Sandhill Cranes in Southern Texas. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 39(1), 221–223. https://doi.org/10.2307/3800493