Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Nymphaea pygmaea

Species of water lily From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nymphaea pygmaea
Remove ads

Nymphaea pygmaea is a controversial species[3][2] of perennial, aquatic herb[2] in the family Nymphaeaceae[4] native to Asia.[5]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Binomial name ...
Remove ads

Description

Thumb
Nymphaea pygmaea flower and floating leaves

Vegetative characteristics

It is a perennial, aquatic herb with erect, cylindrical, unbranched rhizomes without stolons.[2] The obovate to orbicular, thick,[6] 5.5–24 cm long, and 4.5–21 cm wide leaves[2] with diverging basal lobes[7] have an entire margin.[2][8] The upper leaf surface is green to purple.[6] The petiole is slender.[7]

Generative characteristics

The white,[7] floating, 3–6 cm wide flower has four sepals[2] with an obtuse apex[7] and 5–17 petals[6] with an obtuse apex.[7] The androecium consists of 24–71 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 5-11 carpels.[6] The globose fruit bears ellipsoid to ovoid, 1.9–3.6 mm long, and 1.3–2.6 mm wide seeds.[2]

Remove ads

Cytology

The chromosome count is 2n = 42[9] or 2n = 84. The ploidy level is 6x.[10]

Taxonomy

It was first published as Castalia pygmaea Salisb. by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1807.[11] It was placed in the genus Nymphaea L. as Nymphaea pygmaea (Salisb.) W.T.Aiton by William Townsend Aiton published in 1811.[1] It is widely regarded as a synonym of Nymphaea tetragona Georgi.[12][1][13][14] The circumscription of Nymphaea tetragona in East Asia is however problematic and these problematic plants may be deserving of the status of a separate species Nymphaea pygmaea.[3] There are several studies supporting this separate status.[2][6][5]

Position within Nymphaea

Within the subgenus Nymphaea subg. Nymphaea, it is placed in the section Nymphaea sect. Chamaenymphaea,[15] of which it is the type species.[16] It is identified as the sister group to Nymphaea tetragona and Nymphaea leibergii based on nuclear ribosomal DNA,[5][2] but the relationships based on the analysis of the chloroplast DNA is unclear.[5]

Etymology

The specific epithet pygmaea means small or dwarf.[17][18]

Ecology

Habitat

It occurs in lakes, ponds, marshes, and rice fields.[2]

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads