Nuphar
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| Nuphar | ||||||||||||
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 Nuphar lutea
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About 10-15 species, including: |
Nuphar is genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate Northern Hemisphere distribution. The common name, shared with some other genera in the same family, is water lily or waterlily.
There are from 1 to 25 species in the genus. Some botanists[1] treat the genus as just a single variable species (for which the European name N. lutea has priority), but 10-12 species are typically accepted by most authorities. Recent molecular work has shown that there is some difference between the European and American species.[2]
The genus is closely related to Nymphaea (named after the Greek term "Νυμφαία", posibly related to "Νύμφη" meaning nymph). Nuphar differs in having its petals being much smaller than its 4-6 bright yellow-coloured sepals, whereas in Nymphaea, the petals are much larger than the sepals. The fruit maturation also differs, with Nuphar fruit being held above water level to maturity, whereas Nymphaea fruit sink below the water level immediately after the flower closes. Both genera share leaves with a radial notch from the circumference to the petiole (leaf stem) in the center.
[edit] References
- ^ Beal, E. O. (1956). "Taxonomic revision of the genus Nuphar Sm. of North America and Europe". Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 72: 317–346.
- ^ Wiersema, John H.; C. Barre Hellquist (1997). "Nymphaeaceae". Flora of North America 3.
