Nuphaea

Nuphaea engelhardtii was a species of aquatic plant, which occurred in the Eocene period of Germany.^[1]

Nuphaea Temporal range: 48.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Eocene[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Order:	Nymphaeales
Family:	Nymphaeaceae
Genus:	†Nuphaea Gee et David W. Taylor[1]
Species:	†N. engelhardtii
Binomial name
†Nuphaea engelhardtii Gee et David W. Taylor[1]

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Nuphaea engelhardtii was an aquatic plant with petiolate, macrophyllous, simple, ovate leaves with an entire margin. The base of the lamina is cordate. The leaves have a prominent medial vein.^[1]

Taxonomy

Publication

It was published by Carole T. Gee and David Winship Taylor in 2019.^[1]

Type specimen

The type specimen was collected by Hermann Engelhardt in the Messel Pit, Hessen, Germany.^[1]

Position within Nymphaeales

It is placed within the family Nymphaeaceae.^[2][1]

Etymology

The generic name Nuphaea reflects the intermediate position of the genus between the genera Nuphar and Nymphaea. The specific epithet engelhardtii honours the German paleobotanist Hermann Engelhardt (1839–1918).^[1]

Ecology

Habitat

It grew at the edges of the Messel lake.^[3]