| Nymphaea tetragona | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
| Genus: | Nymphaea |
| Species: | N. tetragona |
| Binomial name | |
| Nymphaea tetragona Georgi | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
List
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Nymphaea tetragona is an aquatic perennial, [3] species of flowering plant commonly called pygmy waterlily [4] and small white water lily, [5] belonging to the family Nymphaeaceae. [6] [7]
The leaves can be cordate or ovate [7] with entire margins and may be tinted purple or sometimes mottled reddish brown or purple. [8]
The leaves are sometimes affected by a fungal pathogen, Rhamphospora nymphaeae , [3] forming spots. [9]
Plants produce a single floating flower that is 1.5 to 3 inches wide, with up to 15 petals; each flower has 30 to 45 yellow stamens. [5] The floating flower has petals that are white in colour. [7] The sepals and out petals are produced in whorls of four, the sepals are green in color. [5] The receptacle is four-angled [10] and the sepals are inserted into it. [7]
The seeds are smooth [7] and rounded in shape and 2-3 × 1.5-2 mm long, being 1.3-1.5 times as long as broad; the species has 112 pairs of chromosomes. [5]
The cited authority, Georgi, is in reference to the work of a German botanist named Johann Gottlieb Georgi who is credited for first describing the species at the end of the eighteenth century from his collections in Eastern Siberia. [11] The Komarov Botanical Institute has a herbarium specimen with the description "Nymphaea tetragona sp. nova" that is thought to be collected in 1772 from the Angara River and hand labelled by Georgi himself. [11]
Its distribution encompasses Midwestern Nepal, China, India, Japan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, Vietnam, North America, and Europe. [7]
In North America and Europe it native range is restricted to the boreal regions above 50° N latitude. [12]
Nymphaea tetragona inhabits ponds, lakes, and quiet streams; [5] and it is native to the region spanning from North Europe to Korea and Himalaya, and Subarctic America to Northwest USA. [2] In Minnesota it is found in slow moving streams often associated with beavers that provide suitable habitat by building dams. [10] In Minnesota the plants are typically found in water that is 1 to 2 meters deep growing in association with Zizania aquatica , Sagittaria sp, Scirpus sp, and Typha sp; Nymphaea odorata var. tuberosa and Nuphar variegata (Yellow Pond-lily) are also commonly found in the same locations. [10]
N. tetragona reproduces sexually by seeds. [13] [14] The mature fruits on the plant decay to reveal the seed and remain buoyant for approximately a day which is important for dispersal [14] because the habitat of N. tetragona tends to encompass calm waters like ponds, swamps, lakes, or streams. [7] [14] Dispersal over longer distances in water is facilitated through fish which like to feed on the seeds of N. tetragona [14] , overland via waterbirds, or dispersed by humans. [13] The establishment of the seed in the appropriate ecological conditions for N. tetragona to thrive and reproduce is considered to be more important than dispersal ability which appears to generally be sufficient. [13]
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, N. tetragona was listed as Least Concern in 2010. [15] It has the broadest global distribution of any species in this genus [13] so the conservation status of the species can vary by region. It is considered an endangered species in China [14] and India. [16] In China, the depletion of wetlands has caused N. tetragona populations to decrease. [14] Across the N. tetragona species, populations are most at risk from the destruction of their habitat and overexploitation. [7] [14] In British Columbia, Canada, N. tetragona is listed as a blue-listed taxon meaning it is at risk and of Special Concern. [17] [18] It is also considered threatened in some states of the United States including Maine. [19] It is listed as a threatened species the US state of Minnesota. [10]
N. tetragona is an important ornamental plant. [7] [14] [20] The buds of the leaf and the seeds can also be used as food. [14] In Buddhism, it is used as an offering flower. [21] It has a rich history of use in ethnomedicine. [20] Tribal practitioners of herbal medicine would use the rhizomes of N. tetragona to treat dysentery and diarrhea. [20] Furthermore, it was used to treat ailments like diarrhea with dysentery, enteritis, fever, painful urine discharge, and urinary passage infections in folk medicine. [20] On the other hand, herbal medicine practitioners used it to treat bronchial congestion and kidney pain. [20]
N. tetragona is the first species in the family Nymphaeaceae to have Geraniin isolated and it showed evidence of inhibiting disease causing bacteria in fish. [22] A 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has shown to be a safe method that works well in inhibiting bacterial virulence factors via intercellular communication. [20] As a result, the inhibitory properties of this extract could be effective in antimicrobial products to fight against bacterial resistance and infections. [20] Furthermore, a specific application for a 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has been proposed as a part of an antimicrobial treatment in combination with antibiotics for fighting against the bacterial resistance of a Salmonella infection in humans and animals alike. [23]
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 round, with a radial notch in Nymphaea and Nuphar, but fully circular in Victoria and Euryale.
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 mean "water lily" and were inspired by the nymphs of Greek and Latin mythology.
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.
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali.
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.
Nymphaea lotus, the white Egyptian lotus, tiger lotus, white lotus, or Egyptian water-lily, is a flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae.
Euryale ferox, commonly known as prickly waterlily, 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, and eaten predominantly in Asia.
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.
Nymphaea mexicana is a species of aquatic plant that is native to the Southern United States and Mexico as far south as Michoacán. Common names include yellow water lily, Mexican water lily and banana water lily.
Nymphaea micrantha is a water lily belonging to the genus Nymphaea. It is native to the tropics of West Africa.
Nymphaea leibergii, also known as the dwarf waterlily and Leiberg's waterlily, is a perennial emergent aquatic plant belonging to the genus Nymphaea. It can be found across northern North America in ponds and slow moving streams. Populations of this plant are infrequent throughout its range, and it is protected as a state threatened plant in Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota.
Nymphaea thermarum is a species of water lily that is endemic to Rwanda. Once thought to be extinct in the wild, all wild plants were believed to be lost due to destruction of its native habitat, but it was thought to be saved from extinction when it was grown from seed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2009. A previously-unknown wild population was discovered in 2023.
Euryale is a genus of flowering plants of the family Nymphaeaceae.
Nymphaea rudgeana is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Mexico to tropical South America.
Nymphaea jamesoniana is a species of waterlily native to the USA, Mexico, and tropical South America.
Nymphaea conardii is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from Southern Mexico to tropical South America.
Nymphaea kimberleyensis is a species of waterlily endemic to Western Australia.
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.
Nymphaea subg. Nymphaea is a subgenus of the genus Nymphaea.
