Nymphaea tetragona is an aquatic perennial,[3] species of flowering plant commonly called pygmy waterlily[4] and small white water lily,[5] belonging to the family Nymphaeaceae.[6][7]
| Nymphaea tetragona | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
| Genus: | Nymphaea |
| Species: | N. tetragona
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| Binomial name | |
| Nymphaea tetragona Georgi
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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Description
editLeaves
editThe leaves can be cordate or ovate[7] with entire margins and may be tinted purple or sometimes mottled reddish brown or purple.[8]
The leaves are sometimes affected by a fungal pathogen, Rhamphospora nymphaeae,[3] forming spots.[9]
Rhizome
editThe rhizomes are erect and unbranched.[7]
Floral parts
editPlants produce a single floating flower that is 1.5 to 3 inches wide, with up to 15 petals; each flower has 30 to 45 yellow stamens.[5] The floating flower has petals that are white in colour.[7] The sepals and out petals are produced in whorls of four, the sepals are green in color.[5] The receptacle is four-angled[10] and the sepals are inserted into it.[7]
Seeds
editThe seeds are smooth[7] and rounded in shape and 2-3 × 1.5-2 mm long, being 1.3-1.5 times as long as broad; the species has 112 pairs of chromosomes.[5]
Authority
editThe cited authority, Georgi, is in reference to the work of a German botanist named Johann Gottlieb Georgi who is credited for first describing the species at the end of the eighteenth century from his collections in Eastern Siberia.[11] The Komarov Botanical Institute has a herbarium specimen with the description "Nymphaea tetragona sp. nova" that is thought to be collected in 1772 from the Angara River and hand labelled by Georgi himself.[11]
Distribution and habitat
editIts distribution encompasses Midwestern Nepal, China, India, Japan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, Vietnam, North America, and Europe.[7]
In North America and Europe it native range is restricted to the boreal regions above 50° N latitude.[12]
Nymphaea tetragona inhabits ponds, lakes, and quiet streams;[5] and it is native to the region spanning from North Europe to Korea and Himalaya, and Subarctic America to Northwest USA.[2] In Minnesota it is found in slow moving streams often associated with beavers that provide suitable habitat by building dams.[10] In Minnesota the plants are typically found in water that is 1 to 2 meters deep growing in association with Zizania aquatica, Sagittaria sp, Scirpus sp, and Typha sp; Nymphaea odorata var. tuberosa and Nuphar variegata (Yellow Pond-lily) are also commonly found in the same locations.[10]
Reproduction
editN. tetragona reproduces sexually by seeds.[13][14] The mature fruits on the plant decay to reveal the seed and remain buoyant for approximately a day which is important for dispersal[14] because the habitat of N. tetragona tends to encompass calm waters like ponds, swamps, lakes, or streams.[7][14] Dispersal over longer distances in water is facilitated through fish which like to feed on the seeds of N. tetragona[14], overland via waterbirds, or dispersed by humans.[13] The establishment of the seed in the appropriate ecological conditions for N. tetragona to thrive and reproduce is considered to be more important than dispersal ability which appears to generally be sufficient.[13]
Conservation status
editAccording to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, N. tetragona was listed as Least Concern in 2010.[15] It has the broadest global distribution of any species in this genus [13] so the conservation status of the species can vary by region. It is considered an endangered species in China[14] and India.[16] In China, the depletion of wetlands has caused N. tetragona populations to decrease.[14] Across the N. tetragona species, populations are most at risk from the destruction of their habitat and overexploitation.[7][14] In British Columbia, Canada, N. tetragona is listed as a blue-listed taxon meaning it is at risk and of Special Concern.[17][18] It is also considered threatened in some states of the United States including Maine.[19] It is listed as a threatened species the US state of Minnesota.[10]
Cultural significance
editN. tetragona is an important ornamental plant.[7][14][20] The buds of the leaf and the seeds can also be used as food.[14] In Buddhism, it is used as an offering flower.[21] It has a rich history of use in ethnomedicine.[20] Tribal practitioners of herbal medicine would use the rhizomes of N. tetragona to treat dysentery and diarrhea.[20] Furthermore, it was used to treat ailments like diarrhea with dysentery, enteritis, fever, painful urine discharge, and urinary passage infections in folk medicine.[20] On the other hand, herbal medicine practitioners used it to treat bronchial congestion and kidney pain.[20]
Pharmacological properties
editN. tetragona is the first species in the family Nymphaeaceae to have Geraniin isolated and it showed evidence of inhibiting disease causing bacteria in fish.[22] A 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has shown to be a safe method that works well in inhibiting bacterial virulence factors via intercellular communication.[20] As a result, the inhibitory properties of this extract could be effective in antimicrobial products to fight against bacterial resistance and infections.[20] Furthermore, a specific application for a 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has been proposed as a part of an antimicrobial treatment in combination with antibiotics for fighting against the bacterial resistance of a Salmonella infection in humans and animals alike.[23]
References
edit- ^ Nguyen, T.H.T. 2011. Nymphaea tetragona. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T167890A6407237. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T167890A6407237.en. Accessed on 03 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Nymphaea tetragona Georgi | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ a b Park, Mi-Jeong; Denchev, Cvetomir M.; Han, Kyung-Sook; Shin, Hyeon-Dong (2010-09-01). "Occurrence of Rhamphospora nymphaeae on Nymphaea tetragona in Korea". The Plant Pathology Journal. 26 (3): 293. doi:10.5423/ppj.2010.26.3.293. ISSN 1598-2254.
- ^ Williams, Cheryll J. (December 2021). Phytochemistry of Australia's Tropical Rainforest: Medicinal Potential of Ancient Plants. ISBN 9781486307593.
- ^ a b c d e "Nymphaea leibergii (Small White Water-lily): Minnesota Wildflowers". www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "Nymphaea tetragona Georgi | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Raskoti, B. B.; Bhatt, G. D.; Ale, R. (2015-09-24). "Nymphaea tetragona (Nymphaeaceae) a new record for flora of Nepal". Banko Janakari. 24 (1): 55–56. doi:10.3126/banko.v24i1.13491. ISSN 2631-2301.
- ^ "Nymphaea tetragona in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ Kálmán Vánky, Eric H. C. McKenzie Smut Fungi of New Zealand, 2002 at Google Books
- ^ a b c d Barbara Coffin; Lee Pfannmuller (1988). Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna. U of Minnesota Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-8166-1689-3.
- ^ a b "Lectotypification of Nymphaea tetragona Georgi (Nymphaeaceae)". Turczaninowia. 20 (1): 182–186. 2017. doi:10.14258/turczaninowia.20.1.14.
- ^ "Nymphaea tetragona in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- ^ a b c d Wiersema, John H. (1988). "Reproductive Biology of Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae)". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 75 (3): 795–804. doi:10.2307/2399367. ISSN 0026-6493. JSTOR 2399367.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chen, Yuan-Yuan; Fan, Xiang-Rong; Li, Zhi; Li, Wei; Huang, Wen-Min (2017-05-01). "Low level of genetic variation and restricted gene flow in water lily Nymphaea tetragona populations from the Amur River". Aquatic Botany. Special feature: Macrophytes in freshwater habitats– Perspectives from Asia. Proceeding of the second International Symposium of Aquatic Plant Biology (Macrophyte 2014, Wuhan, China). 140: 55–61. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2016.10.003. ISSN 0304-3770.
- ^ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Dkhar, Jeremy; Kumaria, Suman; Tandon, Pramod (2011-03-16). "Molecular adaptation of the chloroplast matK gene in Nymphaea tetragona, a critically rare and endangered plant of India". Plant Genetic Resources. 9 (2): 193–196. doi:10.1017/s1479262111000396. ISSN 1479-2621. S2CID 86164271.
- ^ "Species Summary". a100.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ "E-Flora BC Atlas Page". linnet.geog.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ "Maine Natural Areas Program Rare Plant Fact Sheet for Nymphaea leibergii". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hossain, Md. Akil; Lee, Seung-Jin; Park, Ji-Yong; Reza, Md. Ahsanur; Kim, Tae-Hwan; Lee, Ki-Ja; Suh, Joo-Won; Park, Seung-Chun (2015-11-04). "Modulation of quorum sensing-controlled virulence factors by Nymphaea tetragona (water lily) extract". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 174: 482–491. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.049. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 26325430.
- ^ Hongmao, Liu; Zaifu, Xu; Youkai, Xu; Jinxiu, Wang (2002-04-01). "Practice of conserving plant diversity through traditional beliefs: a case study in Xishuangbanna, southwest China". Biodiversity & Conservation. 11 (4): 705–713. doi:10.1023/A:1015532230442. ISSN 1572-9710. S2CID 25140948.
- ^ Kurihara, Hideyuki; Kawabata, Jun; Hatano, Mutsuo (1993). "Geraniin, a Hydrolyzable Tannin from Nymphaea tetragona Georgi (Nymphaeaceae)". Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. 57 (9): 1570–1571. doi:10.1271/bbb.57.1570. ISSN 0916-8451.
- ^ Hossain, Md Akil; Park, Ji-Yong; Kim, Jin-Yoon; Suh, Joo-Won; Park, Seung-Chun (2014-05-08). "Synergistic Effect and Antiquorum Sensing Activity of Nymphaea tetragona (Water Lily) Extract". BioMed Research International. 2014: e562173. doi:10.1155/2014/562173. ISSN 2314-6133. PMC 4033391. PMID 24895589.