Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea

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Nymphaea caerulea
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Not to be confused with
Blue star water lily
.

Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea
A Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea
Species:
N. nouchali
Variety:
N. n. var. caerulea
Trinomial name
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea
(
Verdc.
, 1989
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Castalia caerulea (Savigny) Tratt., 1822
    • Castalia capensis (Thunb.) J.Schust., 1907
    • Castalia scutifolia Salisb., 1805
    • Leuconymphaea berneriana (Planch.) Kuntze, 1891
    • Leuconymphaea caerulea (Savigny) Kuntze, 1891
    • Leuconymphaea emirnensis (Planch.) Kuntze, 1891
    • Nymphaea bernieriana Planch., 1853
    • Nymphaea caerulea Savigny, 1798
    • Nymphaea calliantha Conard, 1904
    • Nymphaea capensis Thunb., 1800
    • Nymphaea capensis var. alba K.C.Landon, 1984
    • Nymphaea coerulea Andrews, 1801
    • Nymphaea cyclophylla R.E.Fr., 1914
    • Nymphaea edgeworthii Lehm., 1852
    • Nymphaea emirnensis Planch., 1853
    • Nymphaea engleri Gilg, 1908
    • Nymphaea madagascariensis DC., 1821
    • Nymphaea magnifica Gilg, 1908
    • Nymphaea mildbraedii Gilg, 1908
    • Nymphaea muschleriana Gilg, 1908
    • Nymphaea nubica Lehm., 1853
    • Nymphaea radiata Bercht. & Opiz, 1825
    • Nymphaea scutifolia (Salisb.) DC., 1821
    • Nymphaea spectabilis Gilg, 1908
    • Nymphaea sphaerantha Peter, 1928

Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea,[1][a] is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali.

It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half of Africa, as well as parts of southern Arabia, but has also been spread to other regions as an ornamental plant. It was grown by the Ancient Egyptian civilization, and had significance in their religion.

It can tolerate the roots being in anoxic mud in nutritionally poor conditions, and can become a dominant plant in deeper water in such habitats. It is associated with a species of snail, which is one of the main hosts of the pathogen causing human schistosomiasis.

The underwater rhizomes are edible. Like other species in the genus, the plant contains the psychoactive alkaloid aporphine[inconsistent] (not to be confused with apomorphine, a metabolic product of aporphine).

Taxonomy

Nymphaea spectabilis, a purple form known from cultivation, and

N. capensis, found throughout eastern, central and southern Africa, as well as a number of other named taxa, were synonymised to N. nouchali var. caerulea in the 1989 addition to the Flora of Tropical East Africa (FTEA) series, a position which has generally been accepted,[1][4][10][11] although some of the authorities in Bangladesh[11] and in the United States disagree.[7][8][9]

In 2012 there was a

N. colorata, an east African species.[14]

Nymphaea nouchali is itself a taxonomically challenging species, with a distribution that spans Australia, throughout southern Asia,

priority
over N. capensis.

Publication

It was first described as Nymphaea caerulea Savigny by Marie Jules César Savigny in 1798. Later, it was included in the species Nymphaea nouchali Burm.f. as the variety Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc. published by Bernard Verdcourt in 1989.[1]

Classification

It is classified in the Nymphaea subgenus Brachyceras.[14][16][17] This subgenus appears to be phylogenetically sound.[14]

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Complete specimen of Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc. with scale bar (50 cm) on a white background
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc. fruit with coiled peduncle on a white background

This is an

euhydrophyte) herb with a tuberous rhizome.[18] That is to say, it has small tubers that may develop into short vertical rhizomes. It is a perennial.[19] One plant can spread over an area of about 1 metre.[4]

The

entire towards the apex or more-or-less irregularly sinuate-lobulate throughout its entirety.[18] The petioles are thick, blackish green and spongy.[6] They continue to lengthen as they age, pushing older leaves towards the margins of the plant.[4]

Generative characteristics

The

style.[18] There are also carpellary appendages; these are what is known as 'osmophores', structures which serve to attract pollinators without actually rewarding them, thus by deceit. In this case they are visually attractive for bees and exude an odour mimicking food.[17]

The flower buds rise to the surface over a period of two to three days, and when ready, open during the mid-morning, closing near dusk. This ability is controlled by the sepals; when these are cut off, the flower loses the ability to close. The flowers and buds do not rise above the water in the morning, nor do they submerge at night. The flowers last some four days before they start to wither, closing up each night.[4][17]

The fruit are berries,[6][inconsistent] 2.2 by 3.2 cm and flattened-round in shape. The seeds are ellipsoid and 1.2 mm long.[18] They are smooth, and have a fleshy, bell-shaped aril.[6]

Chemical composition

Apomorphine is said to be main psychoactive compound present[inconsistent]. Other compounds include nuciferine.[20]

Similar species

In Southern Africa the only other native species of water-lily is N. lotus; this has night-blooming, usually white flowers.[4] N. mexicana is a mostly yellow-flowered invasive species in South Africa. Most plants are derived from US stock, but a significant number of samples were escaped garden cultivars or hybrids, some of which may be crossed with native species. These hybrids are often recognisable by their divergent flower colours and forms.[21]

In Australia it may be confused with the native N. gigantea, but can be distinguished on the basis of N. gigantea lacking the petal-coloured appendages on the outer stamens in N. caerulea.[22]

Cytology

The chromosome count is n = 14. The genome size is 567.24 Mb.[23]

Distribution

The native distribution covers

least concern' by the South African National Biodiversity Institute in their Red List of South African Plants.[5]

On the African continent, it occurs, from north to south, westwards to at least

Dhofar) in the southern Arabian Peninsula[1] but, according to Moshe Agami in a 1980 paper, is thought to have become extinct in the wild in Israel.[2]

It has more recently been spread more widely around the world as an ornamental plant, and introduced populations are now found in Bangladesh,[1][3] Meghalaya, Kerala[6] and Assam in India,[1][6] Fiji, Mauritius, North Island in New Zealand, New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica,[1] and throughout eastern South America (in Brazil and Argentina).[2][3]

There is an introduced population of blue water-lilies originally from East Africa in the US in the state of Florida. This was first identified as N. zanzibarensis, then as N. capensis var. zanzibarensis, but following the 1989 FTEA publication the taxon was moved to N. nouchali var. zanzibarensis. Nonetheless the 1997 addition to the Flora of North America series decided to retain recognition of the local population under the name N. capensis, and this population continues to be recognised under that name in the US.[7][8][9]

The naturalised populations in eastern Australia were also thought to be N. capensis var. zanzibarensis, then later N. caerulea var. zanzibarensis, then in 2011 N. capensis,

environmental weed in Australia.[22]

Ecology

It has a habitat consisting of rivers, lakes and pools.[18] As of 1921, it has been found at elevations of 10–1,650 m (33–5,413 ft) in South Africa.[24]

Although in cultivation it is said to be quite demanding of nutrients,

Hydrilla verticillata is another plant which seems to sometimes occur together with the waterlily in this lake, as well as in Lake Bunyonyi.[30]

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, South Africa, the flowers are visited by honey bees.[31] In fact, the carpellary appendages in this type of water-lily appear to have evolved specifically to attract bee species in general. In a way, these waterlilies are parasites of the services of bees, attracting the insects by deceit, without actually rewarding them for their labours.[17] In India plants bloom and fruit from May to October.[6]

The fruit suddenly bursts when ripe, and the scattered seed float away.[

germinate when heavy rains flood the banks, and they are submerged under a layer of water.[4][32] In cultivation, the plants take three to four years to flower from seed. In colder climates, the plants lose their leaves and go dormant during the winter, with the rhizomes remaining alive below the water.[4]

Gomphonema gracile is an epiphytic diatom found on N. caerulea in high elevation Lake Naivasha, Kenya.[33] In Kenya, N. caerulea is positively associated with the freshwater snail Biomphalaria pfeifferi, which is a main host of human schistosomiasis. The edible American crayfish Procambarus clarkii eliminates the mollusc, as well as feeding on the water-lily.[34] The crayfish was first introduced to Kenya in 1966 as a species with which to enhance the local fisheries.[35] In Lake Naivasha, N. caerulea was extremely common until the 1970s,[33] and there is still a seedbank around the shores of the lake. Procambarus clarkii was introduced to the lake in 1970, and now supports an annual harvest of a few thousand kilograms, but it may have been responsible for eliminating not only the water-lily in the main lake by 1983, but all native aquatic plant species in this water body. It is not the only potential culprit; invasive mats of exotic floating vegetation have also taken over the lake, two different commercially fishable fish species have been introduced, and the new fisheries upon these three species could all be responsible, or a combination.[32]

Uses

The rootstock of the blue water lily was collected and eaten in western South Africa around 1800, either raw or in

Cape Malays and farming communities in the Cape, although this practice has now died out.[4]

Some evidence indicates the effects of plants including N. caerulea that contain the psychoactive alkaloid

Lotophagi in Homer's Odyssey.[citation needed
]

This lotus has been used to produce perfumes since ancient times; it is also used in aromatherapy.[citation needed] According to a 2023 preprint study, traces of Peganum harmala, and Nimphaea nouchali var. caerulea were identified in an Egyptian ritual Bes-vase, of the 2nd century BCE.[37]

Cultivation

It is grown as an ornamental plant for water gardens in tropical to subtropical regions around the world.[4][6] It is easy to grow in ponds in any part of Southern Africa, including the highveld, and is hardy to -1 °C.[4]

'Valentina's Pale Blue Eyes' is a registered cultivar of this species from 2018, bred in Italy partially from a clone known as 'Rwanda'.[16]

Religion and art

Ancient Egyptian funerary stele showing a dead man named Ba, seated at the centre, sniffing a sacred lily, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1550–1292 BC

Along with the white lotus,

cosmogeny. It was the symbol of the Egyptian deity Nefertem.[39]

Legal issues

Nymphaea caerulea is illegal in Latvia since November 2009. It is a schedule 1 drug. Possession of quantities up to 1 gram are fined up to 280 euros, for second offences within a year period criminal charges are applied. Possession of larger quantities can be punished by up to 15 years in prison.[40] The plant was banned in Poland in March 2009. Possession and distribution lead to a criminal charge.[41] N. caerulea is illegal in Russia since April 2009 along with related products such as Salvia divinorum, Argyreia nervosa and others.[42]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Also known as Nymphaea caerulea,[2][3] and known in English as Egyptian lotus,[2][3] blue lotus,[2][4] blue water lily (RSA),[5][4] Cape water lily (RSA), frog's pulpit (RSA),[4] blue lotus of the Nile,[3] blue waterlily,[3] blue Egyptian lotus,[2] blue Egyptian water lily (India), sacred blue lily of the Nile (India),[6] Utpala (India), Cape blue waterlily (USA)[7][8][9] and sacred blue lily,[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Nymphaea caerulea". EPPO Global Database. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Viljoen, Cherise; Notten, Alice (January 2002). "Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea". PlantZAfrica. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Cholo, F.; Foden, W. (22 May 2006). "Blue Waterlily". Red List of South African Plants. version 2020.1. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nymphaea caerulea". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780195112467
    .
  8. ^ a b c "Nymphaea capensis Thunb". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Wunderlin, Richard P.; Hansen, Bruce F.; Franck, Alan R.; Essig, F. B. (30 March 2021). "Nymphaea capensis var. zanzibariensis". Atlas of Florida Plants. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f." Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 30 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Nymphaea capensis Thunb". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. March 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  12. ^
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  13. PMID 31853069
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  14. ^
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  15. ^ a b Dezhi Fu; John H. Wiersema & Donald Padgett, Flora of China online, vol. 6, retrieved 31 March 2021
  16. ^ a b Andrea Bianchi (27 November 2018). Application to register a Nymphaeaceae Cultivar Name (Report). International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society Registrar, Denver Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  17. ^
    doi:10.1093/botlinnean/boz078
    . Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Mendoça, F. A. (1960). Nymphaea capensis in Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 175.
  19. ^ a b "Nymphaea capensis Thunb". New South Wales Flora Online. National Herbarium of New South Wales, the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. May 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. PMID 28266899
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  21. S2CID 233965194
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  22. ^ a b c "Nymphaea caerulea Savigny". Weeds of Australia. Identic Pty Ltd. 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  23. PMID 28979789
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  24. ^ a b c d "Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc". African Plant Database. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Search results: Nymphaea capensis var. katangensis". Jstor. Ithaka. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  26. ^ Knotts, Kit (2006). "The Official Preliminary Checklist of Water Gardeners International - Waterlily Names - List of Those Not Accepted". Victoria Adventure. Water Gardeners International. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  27. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00490.x
    . Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  28. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2006.00703.x
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  29. S2CID 88295980
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  30. ^ Gidudu, Brian; Copeland, Robert S.; Wanda, Fred; Ochaya, H.; Cuda, J. P.; Overholt, W. A. (January 2011). "Distribution, interspecific associations and abundance of aquatic plants in Lake Bisina, Uganda". Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 49 (1). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Indigenous South African Plants that Provide Food for Honey Bees" (PDF). South African National Biodiversity Institute. April 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  32. ^
    S2CID 35987722
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  33. ^
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  34. doi:10.1016/1049-9644(91)90065-8
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  37. ^ "Ritual revealed: psychotropic substances in a Ptolemaic Egyptian vase". www.researchsquare.com. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  38. ISBN 0-714-11431-6
  39. ISBN 0-500-05120-8
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  40. likumi.lv
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  41. ^ (in Polish) Dz.U. 2009 nr 63 poz. 520, Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych.
  42. ^ "Постановление Правительства Российской Федерации от 31 декабря 2009 г. № 1186". 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2016-05-05.

External links

Media related to Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea at Wikimedia Commons

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