''Barclaya'' is a genus of eight species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s of the family

Nymphaeaceae Nymphaeaceae () is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate climate, temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains five genera with about 70 know ...

. ''Barclaya'' are

aquatic plant Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...

s native to tropical Asia. The genus was named in honour of the American-born English brewer and patron of science Robert Barclay.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Its species are perennial, aquatic,Watson, L., & Dallwitz, M. J. (n.d.). Barclayaceae (Endl.) Li. The Families of Angiosperms. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.delta-intkey.com/angio/www/barclaya.htm rhizomatous herbs with slender, horizontal, villous-pubescent, creeping or tuberous, often stoloniferous rhizomes. The petiolate leaves are mostly submerged and do not float on the water surface. The linear, oblong, or suborbicular lamina with a cordate baseCook, C. D. K. (1974).
Water Plants of the World: A Manual for the Identification of the Genera of Freshwater Macrophytes.
p. 335. Niederlande: Junk. has an entire margin.

Generative characteristics

The solitary, pedunculate, sumberged or emerged, bisexual, often cleistogamous flowers have 4–5 hypogynous outer tepals, and 8–20 inner tepals, which are basally fused to a tube.Warner, K. A., Rudall, P. J., & Frohlich, M. W. (2008). Differentiation of Perianth Organs in Nymphaeales. Taxon, 57(4), 1096–1109. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27756767 The gynoecium consists of 7–12 fused carpels with curved stigmatic appendages. The globular, irregularly dehiscent 1.0–1.5(–2.0) cm wide fruit, which is enclosed in persistent sepals and petals,Forest Herbarium & Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. (n.d.). ''Barclaya'' Wall. Flora of Thailand. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://botany.dnp.go.th/eflora/floragenus.html?factsheet=Barclaya bears globose, echinate seeds.

Taxonomy

Publication

The genus ''Barclaya'' Wall. was first published by

Nathaniel Wallich Nathaniel Wolff Wallich (28 January 1786 – 28 April 1854) was a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India, initially in the Danish settlement near Calcutta and later for the Danish East India Company and the British East Indi ...

in 1827 with ''Barclaya longifolia'' as the type species. Though ''Hydrostemma'' is a name that is older than the name ''Barclaya'', having been published 6 months earlier, the name ''Barclaya'' has been "conserved" as it was deemed being much better known than ''Hydrostemma''.

Species

Rejected classification

The separate family Barclayaceae H.L.Li was published in 1955. It has been believed to be separate, due to the extended perianth tube (combined

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

and

petals Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

) arising from the top of the

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

and by

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

that are joined basally. However, morphological and genetic studies support the position of ''Barclaya'' in the family Nymphaeaceae. A separate order Barclayales Doweld was proposed in 2001. The accepted placement of ''Barclaya'' is within the family Nymphaeaceae of the order Nymphaeales.

Cytology

The diploid chromosome count is 2n = 36.

Habitat

Within tropical rainforests, ''Barclaya'' develops alongside streams or at their fringes. The escalating deforestation across Southeast Asia is causing the habitats to become clouded, endangering ''Barclaya''.

Conservation

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

conservation status of ''Barclaya longifolia'' is least concern (LC). The IUCN conservation status of ''Barclaya motleyi'' is data deficient (DD).

Use

In Laos, ''Barclaya longifolia'' is used for its edible leaves.Vidal, J. (1964)
Les Plantes utiles du Laos (suite).
Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquée, 11(1), 18-50.

Cultivation

''Barclaya longifolia'' is a popular aquarium plant. Under high light conditions the attractive, upright foliage displays green colouration. Under lower light conditions brownish foliage is produced. It easily sets seed in cultivation, if pollen is deposited on the stigma.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2624326, from2=Q43034305 Aquatic plants Nymphaeales genera