Nymphaea dimorpha

Nymphaea dimorpha is a species of waterlily endemic to Madagascar.^[1]

Nymphaea dimorpha
Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner with scale bar (10 cm) against a white background
Nymphaea dimorpha cultivated in the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Order:	Nymphaeales
Family:	Nymphaeaceae
Genus:	Nymphaea
Subgenus:	Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras
Species:	N. dimorpha
Binomial name
Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner[1]
Nymphaea dimorpha is endemic to Madagascar[1]
Synonyms[1]
Nymphaea minuta K.C.Landon, R.A.Edwards & Nozaic

Description

Detail of cleistogamous flower with scale bar (3 cm)

Surface leaf with scale bar (10 cm). The abaxial leaf surface (a) is depicted on the left side of the image. The adaxial leaf surface (b) is depicted on the right side.

Submerged leaf with scale bar (5 cm). The abaxial leaf surface (a) is depicted on the left side of the image. The adaxial leaf surface (b) is depicted on the right side.

Chasmogamous flower

This species exhibits two distinctive growth forms. The submerged growth form has very thin foliage with short petioles. The emergent form has floating leaves with longer petioles.^[2]

Cytology

The chromosome count is n = 14. The genome size is 449.88 Mb.^[3]

Reproduction

Generative reproduction

Cleistogamy occurs in this species. It can produce flowers, which never open, but self-fertilise and never reach the water surface.^[2][4]

Habitat

It grows in pools of water among slowly flowing streams.^[2] The pools, which are darkened with organic material, are shaded by the canopy of tropical forest.^[5]

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

This species was first described as Nymphaea minuta K.C.Landon, R.A.Edwards & Nozaic in 2006. Later, it was discovered that this was a Nomen illegitimum, as the name was preoccupied by the French fossil waterlily Nymphaea minuta Saporta described in 1891. Therefore, the new name Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner was chosen in 2014.^[6]

Type specimen

The type specimen was collected in shaded rain pools beneath coastal forest near Tampolo, Madagascar in 1999.^[7]

Placement within Nymphaea

It is a member of Nymphaea subgen. Brachyceras.^[2]

Etymology

The specific epithet dimorpha references the two distinctive growth forms of this species.^[6] The prefix di- means "two",^[8] and -morph means shape.^[9]

Cultivation

It is easily cultivated and suitable for low-light conditions.^[2] In cultivation it may grow four times larger than plants observed in their natural habitat. This is due to better fertilisation.^[5] It is very sensitive to cold temperatures.^[10]

It is used in hybridisation to create new smaller waterlily cultivars.^[4]