Nymphaea belophylla
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| Nymphaea belophylla | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
| Genus: | Nymphaea |
| Subgenus: | Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis |
| Species: | N. belophylla |
| Binomial name | |
| Nymphaea belophylla Trickett[1] | |
Nymphaea belophylla is a species of waterlily native to Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela.[1]
Vegetative characteristics
Nymphaea belophylla is an aquatic herb.[2] It has subglobose tubers, which are not stoloniferous.[3] The green, elliptic-sagittate leaves with an acute apex are up to 30 cm long and 11 cm wide.[4] The 4-5 mm wide, non-brittle, green petiole is glabrous.[3]
Generative characteristics
The flowers of Nymphaea belophylla are floating and nocturnal.[2] The glabrous, green, non-brittle peduncle[3] is up to 5 mm wide.[4] In the original publication, the flowers are describes as inodorous.[3][4][5] In others, the floral fragrance described as sweet and fruity,[6] or as unpleasant and almond-like.[4] The smooth, pilose, ellipsoid seeds exhibit trichomes arranged in continuous longitudinal lines.[2] The seeds are 0.9 mm wide and 0.75 mm wide. The trichomes are 35-90 μm long.[4]
Cytology
The chromosome count is not known.[4]
Reproduction
Habitat
In one instance, it has been found growing in flooded grassland savanna at water depths of 110 cm beneath Tabebuia aurea trees.[7] In another case, it was observed growing in floodplains at water depths of 1.5-2m among the grass species Oryza rufipogon and Paspalum wrightii.[6] In the Pantanal, where it can occur sympatrically with Nymphaea oxypetala,[3] it is found in floodplains and rivers.[8]