''Nuphar ulvacea'' is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to the US-American states Alabama and Florida.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

''Nuphar ulvacea'' is an aquatic plant with stout, 2-5 cm wide rhizomes with 11-13 mm long, and 8-9 mm wide leaf scars. The petiolate, lanceolate, glabrous floating leaves with a blunt apex are 115-165 mm long, and 54-66 mm wide. The glabrous, terete, smooth petiole is 45-70 cm long, and 7 mm wide. The very thin submerged leaves are 23-28 cm long, and 7-10 wide.Miller, G. S., & Standley, P. C. (1912). The North American species of ''Nymphaea''. Contributions From the United States National Herbarium, 16, 63–108. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_id=http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/371937&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book&url_ver=z39.88-2004

Generative characteristics

The flowers, supported by long peduncles, extend above the water surface.''Nuphar ulvacea'' - Species Page - APA: Alabama Plant Atlas. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2024, from http://floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=2704 They are 15-18 mm long, and 20-23 mm wide. They have six sepals. The subglobose, prominently ribbed fruit bears 3.5-4 mm long, and 2.5 mm wide seeds.

Reproduction

Generative reproduction

Flowering occurs from Spring to early Autumn.''Nuphar ulvacea'' in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2024, from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500820

Taxonomy

Publication

It was first described as ''Nymphaea ulvacea'' G.S.Mill. & Standl. by Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. and

Paul Carpenter Standley Paul Carpenter Standley (March 21, 1884 – June 2, 1963) was an American botanist known for his work on neotropical plants. Biography Standley was born on March 21, 1884, in Avalon, Missouri. He attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, ...

in 1912. Later, it was included in the genus ''Nuphar'' Sm. as ''Nuphar ulvacea'' (G.S.Mill. & Standl.) Standl. published by Paul Carpenter Standley in 1931.

Type specimen

The type specimen was collected by A. H. Curtiss in a blackwater River near Milton, Florida, USA on the 14th of May 1898.

Etymology

The specific epithet ''ulvacea'' references the genus of algae ''

Ulva Ulva (; ) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, off the west coast of Mull. It is separated from Mull by a narrow strait, and connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge. Much of the island is formed from Cen ...

'', as the submerged leaves of ''Nuphar ulvacea'' resemble it.

Conservation

The

NatureServe conservation status The NatureServe conservation status system, maintained and presented by NatureServe in cooperation with the Natural Heritage Network, was developed in the United States in the 1980s by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a means for ranking or categor ...

is T2 Imperiled and its habitat is imperiled.''Nuphar ulvacea'' Aquatic Vegetation. (n.d.). NatureServe. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683775/Nuphar_ulvacea_Aquatic_Vegetation

Ecology

Habitat

It occurs in blackwater habitats, streams fed by springs, and old, water-filled sand and gravel pits.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15775077, from2=Q50916941, from3=Q49458846 ulvacea Flora of Alabama Flora of Florida Flora of the United States Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1912