Nymphaea dimorpha
{{Short description|Species of water lily}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner.jpg
| image_caption = Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner with scale bar (10 cm) against a white background
| image2 = Nymphaea minuta Botanical garden.jpg
| image2_caption = Nymphaea dimorpha cultivated in the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum
| parent = Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras
| genus = Nymphaea
| species = dimorpha
| synonyms =
- Nymphaea minuta K.C.Landon, R.A.Edwards & Nozaic
| synonyms_ref = {{cite POWO |id=77143787-1 |title=Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner |accessdate=12 July 2023}}
| range_map = Madagascar in the world (W3).svg
| range_map_caption = Nymphaea dimorpha is endemic to Madagascar
}}
Nymphaea dimorpha is a species of waterlily endemic to Madagascar.
Description
File:Detail of cleistogamous Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner flower.jpg flower with scale bar (3 cm)]]
File:Surface leaf of Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner.jpg
File:Sumberged Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner leaf.jpg
File:Nymphea minuta Unterwasserbluete.jpg flower]]
This species exhibits two distinctive growth forms. The submerged growth form has very thin foliage with short petioles. The emergent form has floating leaves with longer petioles.{{Cite journal |last1=Landon |first1=Kenneth |last2=Edwards |first2=Richard A. |last3=Nozaic |first3=P. Ivan |date=2006 |title=A New Species of Waterlily (Nymphaea minuta: Nymphaeaceae) from Madagascar |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41969055 |journal=SIDA, Contributions to Botany |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=887–893 |jstor=41969055 |issn=0036-1488}}
Cytology
The chromosome count is n = 14. The genome size is 449.88 Mb.Chen, F., Liu, X., Yu, C., Chen, Y., Tang, H., & Zhang, L. (2017). [https://academic.oup.com/hr/article/doi/10.1038/hortres.2017.51/6447949 "Water lilies as emerging models for Darwin’s abominable mystery."] Horticulture research, 4.
Reproduction
=Generative reproduction=
Cleistogamy occurs in this species. It can produce flowers, which never open, but self-fertilise and never reach the water surface.
Habitat
Taxonomy
=Taxonomic history=
This species was first described as Nymphaea minuta K.C.Landon, R.A.Edwards & Nozaic in 2006. Later, it was discovered that this was a Nomen illegitimum, as the name was preoccupied by the French fossil waterlily Nymphaea minuta Saporta described in 1891. Therefore, the new name Nymphaea dimorpha I.M.Turner was chosen in 2014.
=Type specimen=
The type specimen was collected in shaded rain pools beneath coastal forest near Tampolo, Madagascar in 1999.Nymphaea minuta | International Plant Names Index. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2023, from https://www.ipni.org/n/60445240-2
=Placement within ''Nymphaea''=
It is a member of Nymphaea subgen. Brachyceras.
Etymology
The specific epithet dimorpha references the two distinctive growth forms of this species.Turner, I. M. (2014, October). [https://www.sekj.org/PDF/anbf51/anbf51-305.pdf "Names of extant angiosperm species that are illegitimate homonyms of fossils."] In Annales Botanici Fennici (Vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 305–317). Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board. The prefix di- means "two",Di definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. (2023). Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/di and -morph means shape.Morph definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary. (2023). Retrieved July 13, 2023, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/morph
Cultivation
It is easily cultivated and suitable for low-light conditions. In cultivation it may grow four times larger than plants observed in their natural habitat. This is due to better fertilisation. It is very sensitive to cold temperatures.Yang, K. (2022). [https://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/pgt/article/viewFile/3927/2998 "Leaf Anatomic Structure and Cold Tolerance Evaluation of 6 Nymphaea Species."] Plant Gene and Trait, 13.
It is used in hybridisation to create new smaller waterlily cultivars.Sacher, R. (2008, February). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080906091323/http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/3-1/rich/page1.html This tiny waterlily brings new potential for small hybrids]}} - Lusty Li’l Nymphaea minuta. Water Gardeners International. Retrieved July 12, 2023