Nymphaea prolifera
{{Short description|Species of water lily}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Preserved specimen of Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema MNHN-P-P01956518.jpg
|image_caption = Preserved specimen of Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema in the collection of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France)
|genus = Nymphaea
|parent = Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis
|species = prolifera
|synonyms =
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|status =
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Nymphaea prolifera is a species of waterlily naturally found from Mexico (specifically Veracruz and Tabasco) to Brazil and northeastern Argentina.{{cite POWO |id=281441-2 |title=Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema |accessdate=2 November 2023}} Additionally, it has been reported to occur in Uruguay.Berazategui, P., Duarte, W., García, M., & Villagrán, E. (2009). [https://www.mna.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/12405/1/cb137.pdf "Nymhaea prolifera Wiersema (Nymphaeaceae): primera cita para el Uruguay."] Comunicaciones Botánicas Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Uruguay, 6(137).Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. (n.d.). Nymphaea prolifera. Flora Argentina. Retrieved November 2, 2023, from http://buscador.floraargentina.edu.ar/species/details/25545
Description
=Vegetative characteristics=
=Generative characteristics=
File:Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema proliferating pseudanthium.jpg
File:Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema flower side view.jpg
File:Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema flower closing.jpg
The floral odour has been described as musty.Breukel, H. (2010). Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema. Seerosenforum.de Das Portal Der Seerose. Retrieved November 2, 2023, from https://www.seerosenforum.de/gattung/Hydrocallis/Prolifera/Prolifera.aspx
Cytology
Nymphaea prolifera is aneuploid. The chromosome count is 2n = 18.Poczai, P., Mátyás, K.K., Szabó, I. et al. Genetic Variability of Thermal Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) Populations Based on ISSR Markers: Implications on Relationships, Hybridization, and Conservation. Plant Mol Biol Rep 29, 906–918 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-011-0302-9Chen, 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
Fruits and seeds are only produced on very rare occasions. Instead, the main form of reproduction relies on the sterile, tubiferous flowers as a form of vegetative reproduction. Due to those vegetative propagules, it can persist through periods of decay. The tubers readily separate and it is common to see numerous floating tubers in the water. They drift briefly in the water, until they establish roots to anchor themselves in the mud. When the water level declines, the tubers are likely embedded within the substrate.Viviparous Tropical Night Bloomers N. lasiophylla & N. prolifera. (n.d.). Victoria Adventure. Retrieved November 2, 2023, from http://www.victoria-adventure.org/waterlilies/names/tidbits/tnv_lasiophylla_prolifera.html
Conservation
Ecology
=Pollination=
=Habitat=
In Mexico, Nymphaea prolifera was collected in temporarily flooded meadows at the roadside, at depths of 30 to 60 cm. The populations appear shortly after the onset of the rainy season.Olvera, M., & Lot, A. (1991). [https://www.botanicalsciences.com.mx/index.php/botanicalSciences/article/download/1400/1055 "Nuevo registro de Nymphaea prolifera (Nymphaeaceae) para México."] Botanical Sciences, (51), 93-94. Its habitat within the Pantanal consists of flooded clay fields.Pott, Vali. (1998). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262478514_The_Nymphaeaceae_family_in_the_Pantanal_Mato_Grosso_and_Mato_Grosso_do_Sul_Brazil "The Nymphaeaceae family in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil."] Acta Botanica Brasilica. 12. 183-194. 10.1590/S0102-33061998000200007. It is also found in swamps, temporary ponds, pastures.
=Herbivory=
This species experiences low levels of herbivory in the growth period. This may be explained by a high tannin content of 5.40%, as tannins are known to reduce insect herbivory.Martinez, F. S., & Franceschini, C. (2018). [https://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/YwLTPrsHBnykBbvXdMDtMfQ/?lang=en "Invertebrate herbivory on floating-leaf macrophytes at the northeast of Argentina: should the damage be taken into account in estimations of plant biomass?."] Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 90, 155-167. Few occurrences of adult Hydrotimetes natans beetles, which are being used as a biological control agent of Cabomba caroliniana in Australia, have been observed on Nymphaea prolifera in its natural habitat. In a laboratory setting, it was shown that adult beetles can feed on Nymphaea prolifera leaves, although it prefers Cabomba caroliniana. The beetle larvae are host specific to Cabomba and fails to enter stems of Nymphaea prolifera.Kumaran, N., Vance, T. J., Comben, D., Dell, Q., Oleiro, M. I., Goñalons, C. M., ... & Raghu, S. (2022). [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964422000597 "Hydrotimetes natans as a suitable biological control agent for the invasive weed Cabomba caroliniana."] Biological Control, 169, 104894. The feeding behaviour of a different beetle species Neochetina eichhorniae was also evaluated. Despite the high nitrogen and low lignin contents of Nymphaea prolifera foliage, the beetle showed a low preference for Nymphaea prolifera as a food source and it is unlikely this beetle would feed on Nymphaea prolifera under natural conditions.MARTÍNEZ, F. S., FRANCESCHINI, M. C., & Poi, A. (2013). [http://www.scielo.org.co/pdf/rcen/v39n1/v39n1a15.pdf "Food preference Neochetina eichhorniae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by aquatic plants of different nutritional value."] Revista Colombiana de Entomología, 39(1), 81-87. In its natural habitat, 13.3% of leaves had petioles damaged by endophagous larva.Franceschini, M.C., Murphy, K.J., Moore, I. et al. Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared. Hydrobiologia 847, 3931–3950 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5
Nymphaea prolifera synthesises methylated benzenoids to repel waterlily aphids, which feed on the flowers.Liu, G., Fu, J., Wang, L., Fang, M., Zhang, W., Yang, M., ... & Jiang, Y. (2023). [https://academic.oup.com/hr/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/hr/uhad237/53405826/uhad237.pdf "Diverse O-methyltransferases catalyze the biosynthesis of floral benzenoids that repel aphids from the flowers of waterlily Nymphaea prolifera."] Horticulture Research, uhad237.
Taxonomy
=Publication=
Nymphaea prolifera was first described by Wiersema in 1984.
=Placement within ''Nymphaea''=
Etymology
The specific epithet prolifera references its distinctive trait of proliferous asexual reproduction.Wiersema, J. H. (1984). Systematics of Nymphaea subgenus Hydrocallis (Nymphaeaceae). I. Four New Species from the Neotropics. Brittonia, 36(3), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.2307/2806510