''Nymphaea mexicana'' is a species of

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 ...

that is native to the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

as far south as

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

. Common names include yellow water lily, Mexican water lily and banana water lily.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

''Nymphaea mexicana'' is a rhizomatous,''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zuccarini. (n.d.). Flora of North America @ efloras.org. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500827 aquatic, perennial herbThe Calflora Database. (n.d.). ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zucc. Calflora. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=5875 with stoloniferous, up to 30 cm long, and 4 cm wide rhizomes.Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. (n.d.-b). ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zucc. VicFlora Flora of Victoria. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/fc0766f3-a2f3-432d-b997-48256d588310 The rhizomes bear leaf and root scars. The stolons are 15–100 cm long, and 0.5–1 cm wide. The ovate, suborbicular, or elliptic lamina is 7–18(–27) cm long, and 7–14(–18) cm wide. The long, cylindrical petiole is glabrous.

Generative characteristics

The floating or emersed, yellow, 6–13 cm wide flowers have peduncles with 4 primary air canals. The flowers have four sepals and 12-30 yellow petals. The androeceum consists of 50 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 7-10 carpels. The spheroid or ovoid fruit bears 3–5 mm long, and 3–5 mm wide seedsManaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. (n.d.-c). ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zucc. Flora of New Zealand. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/taxon/Nymphaea-mexicana.html with hairlike papillae. Tuberiferous flowers or proliferating pseudanthia can be present.Grob, V., Moline, P., Pfeifer, E., Novelo, A. R., & Rutishauser, R. (2006)
Developmental morphology of branching flowers in ''Nymphaea prolifera''.
Journal of Plant Research, 119, 561-570.

Cytology

The chromosome count is n = 28. The genome size is 586.80 Mb. The chloroplast genome is 159962 bp long.Gruenstaeudl, M., Nauheimer, L., & Borsch, T. (2017)
Plastid genome structure and phylogenomics of Nymphaeales: conserved gene order and new insights into relationships.
Plant systematics and evolution, 303, 1251-1270.

Taxonomy

It was published by

Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (10 August 1797 – 18 February 1848) was a German botanist, Professor of Botany at the University of Munich. He worked extensively with Philipp Franz von Siebold, assisting in describing his collections from Japan, and ...

in 1832.Königlich Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften. & Königlich Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften. (1832). Abhandlungen der Mathematisch-Physikalischen Klasse der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Vol. 1, p. 365). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11355625 Within the subgenus ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Nymphaea''Pellicer, J., Kelly, L. J., Magdalena, C., & Leitch, I. J. (2013)
Insights into the dynamics of genome size and chromosome evolution in the early diverging angiosperm lineage Nymphaeales (water lilies).
Genome, 56(8), 437-449. it is placed in the section ''Nymphaea'' sect. ''Xanthantha''.Borsch, T., Hilu, K. W., Wiersema, J. H., Löhne, C., Barthlott, W., & Wilde, V. (2007)
Phylogeny of ''Nymphaea'' (Nymphaeaceae): evidence from substitutions and microstructural changes in the chloroplast trnT-trnF region.
International Journal of Plant Sciences, 168(5), 639-671.Conard, Henry S. (1905). The waterlilies: a monograph of the genus ''Nymphaea'' (pp. 163–167). Pub. by the Carnegie Institution of Washington. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35044992

Etymology

The specific epithet ''mexicana'' refers to Mexico.Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. (n.d.-b). ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zucc. Biota of New Zealand. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/scientific-names/7170dae4-4e51-4868-be42-e5d9fa735353

Hybridisation

Together with '' Nymphaea odorata'', it forms the natural hybrid ''Nymphaea'' × ''thiona''.

Reproduction

Vegetative reproduction

''Nymphaea mexicana'' reproduces vegetatively through stolons. Their structure, resembling bananas, consists of leaf buds and thick, starchy roots.Wiersema, J. H. (1988). Reproductive Biology of ''Nymphaea'' (Nymphaeaceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 75(3), 795–804. https://doi.org/10.2307/2399367 Additionally, tuberiferous flowers or proliferating pseudanthia can be present.

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 Vulnerable (G3).

Ecology

Habitat

It occurs in up to 4 m deep waterS.W.L. Jacobs & C.L. Porter. ''Nymphaea mexicana'', in (ed.), Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Nymphaea%20mexicana ate Accessed: 04 December 2024 in lagoons, canals swamps, and rivers.Western Australian Herbarium & Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. (n.d.-c). ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zucc. Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/2922 It can occur in brackish water.Alabama Herbarium Consortium & University of West Alabama. (n.d.). ''Nymphaea mexicana''. Alabama Plant Atlas. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from http://floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=2705

Herbivory

The

canvasback The canvasback (''Aythya valisineria'') is a species of diving duck, the largest found in North America. Taxonomy Scottish-American naturalist Alexander Wilson described the canvasback in 1814. The genus name is derived from Greek ''aithuia'', ...

duck, ''Aythya valisineria'', feeds on the banana-like roots of the plant.

As an invasive species

Together with its hybrids, it has become an invasive species outside of its natural range.Reid, M. K., Paterson, I. D., Coetzee, J. A., Gettys, L. A., & Hill, M. P. (2023)
Know thy enemy: Investigating genetic contributions from putative parents of invasive ''Nymphaea mexicana'' hybrids in South Africa as part of efforts to develop biological control.
Biological Control, 184, 105291.Reid, M. K., Naidu, P., Paterson, I. D., Mangan, R., & Coetzee, J. A. (2021)
Population genetics of invasive and native ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zuccarini: Taking the first steps to initiate a biological control programme in South Africa.
Aquatic Botany, 171, 103372. For instance, it has been recorded in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

References

External links

USDA Plants ProfileLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
mexicana Freshwater plants Flora of the Southern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Mexico Plants described in 1832 Taxa named by Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini {{angiosperm-stub