Nymphaeaceae

The nymphaeaceae (Nymphaeaceae) are a family of angiosperms of the order Nymphaeales. It consists of 6 genera and some 69 species, which are distributed throughout the planet, although some of the genera have a more restricted distribution. They are given the general common name water lilies, although this term may also encompass the aquatic families Cabombaceae, Nelumbonaceae, and the genus Nymphoides of the family Menyanthaceae.

Description

• Perennial herbs, rarely annual, aquatic, with horizontal or vertical rhizomes.
• Alternate, simple, long-dressed, floating, submerged or emerged leaves, marginal hair or peeled leaves, linear limbo, sagitado, cordado or orbicular, involuta vernation, adaxial or absent stypules. Mucillaginous tricomas present in developing bodies. Anomalytic stomas in the foliar beam of the emerging leaves, hydropots present in the foliar enves, stomatized in limbo of Victoria.
• Non-floating stems, in the form of horizontal rhizomes, thick, cylindrical to slightly depressed, whose old parts die and branch through apical growth, or thick vertical strains that emit leaves and flowers from the end; 3-lacunar nodes. In both cases also tubers may appear. The vascular system is modified eustelic, complex. Aerénquima present in all organs. Un ramified laticulous present. Roots appearing under each leaf.
• Hermaphrodite plants.
• Large flowers, axillary or not, solitary with long peduncle, usually emerging, perfect, actinomorphs, pituitary to epigins. Sepals 4-6(-12), green to petaloids; petals 0-70, the elders, external; stamens 14-200, laminars, 3-nervados, with alargadas adaxiales antennas, often gradually becoming staminods out and in normal stamens inwards, prolonged conective or not; seldoms 3-35,Barclaya), bitégmicos, crasinucelados; laminar placentation.
• Fruit in spongy berry.
• Numerous seeds, ovoids to subbovoids, operculated, usually arilized, with low endosperm and abundant perisperm, small embryo, with 2 thick hemispheric cotiledons.
• Polen of very varied types, variable between genera and species, absent exine, lamelada endexine.
• chromosomal number: n = 10, 12, 14, 17, 18; 2n = 20-24, 28, 34, 36, 58, 224; x = 14. Big chromosomes in Victoria and Barclaya.

Ecology

Entomophilous flowers (frequently cantharidophilous), emergent, protogynous, flowering for 2-3 days, functionally female the first, male the rest, fragrant, with carpel appendages rich in starch offered to visitors. There are close relationships with genera of pollinators, e.g. eg, from Nuphar with Donacia or from Victoria with Cyclocephala. In Euryale and Barclaya both cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers appear. Other pollinators include flies and bees. The fruits develop underwater and become mucilaginous, leaving the seeds free, which float in aerenchyma packets or sink (Nuphar), or else by means of arils. In Barclaya there is frequent zoochory due to the spiny seeds.

They live in still or slow-flowing water up to 2 m deep, being tolerant of oxygen scarcity, which is transported to the submerged parts by the aerenchyma from the leaves. Its parts are used by various animals and fungi for their development and food.

Phytochemistry

They are characterized by having two types of tannins: hydrolyzable gallotannins and ellagitannins that accumulate in rhizomes and seeds, accompanied by flavonoids such as myricetin and prodelphinidin; they also present sesquiterpene pseudoalkaloids of particular types, which underlines the phylogenetic isolation of this family.

Uses

Water lilies are favored plants for use in gardens for freshwater environments, or in aquariums. The seeds and rhizomes have been used for human consumption due to their high starch and protein content throughout history. The Egyptians and Mayans used the flowers of Nymphaea as a psychodysleptic narcotic to induce ecstasy in oracles and priests. The excessive growth of these plants in certain areas can cause economic losses if they are not controlled.

Fossils

This family was previously much more diversified. Fossil remains are known from the Late Cretaceous (genus Microvictoria, from the Turonian, 90 Ma ago). The seeds of the fossil genus Sabrenia present intermediate characteristics between those of Victoria and Brasenia.

Systematic position

The water lilies have always aroused the interest of scholars due to the curious mix of monocot and dicot characters that they present, which has usually placed them in a position close to the base of both groups. Various internal classifications have been proposed that included genera that are now considered to be in another family Cabombaceae. The APW (Angiosperm Phylogeny Website) considers it to be the sister group of the family Cabombaceae of the Order Nymphaeales (cf. AP-website).

Division of the family

Theoretical Introduction in Taxonomy

Flower of Victoria cruziana

There are still no definitive data on the grouping of the genera within the family, although it is quite clear that Nuphar occupies a basal position, with respect to the other five, for which reason it has been separated in a subfamily Nupharoideae, while the remaining five form the subfamily Nymphaeoideae.

The genera included in this family can be separated by the following key:

• Hypogine flowers. Gyneese apex forming a flat disc slightly concave with radial stigmas. Sepals 5-14. Anasulcado, thorny.

Subfamily Nupharoideae Mot. Ito, 1987.

Single gender: Nuphar Sm. in Sibth. Sm., 1809. Holártico.

• Periginal flowers to epigins. Gynaceous apex in the form of a cup, its entire estigmatic surface. Sepals 4-5. Pole of another kind.

Subfamily Nymphaeoideae Arn., 1832.

• Acousal plants. Scutiform leaves, peeled.

• Clear of the limbo raised forming a continuous overflow. Envés foliar aculados. Staminodes and appendices present.

Gender Victoria Lindl, 1837. Tropical South America.

• Clear of limbo not lifted. Do and see filthy foliares. Staminoids and carpal appendices absent or inconspicuous.

Gender Euryale Salisb, 1805. Asia, from India to Japan.

• Non-acoused plants. Sheets of various forms, hair inserted into a skeleton of the edge of limbo.

• Sepals 4-5. Pendulum stamens, epipeal on the inner face of the corolla tube. Spicy seeds, without arilo.

Gender Barclaya Wall, 1827. Southeast Asia.

• Sepals 4(-5). erect stamens, períginos on the outer face of the corolla tube. Smooth seeds, papilosas or hairy, with arilo.

• Pétalos 0-5. Central floral axis prominent above the estigmatic cup. Linear submerged leaves with strongly undulating edges.

Gender Ondinea Hartog, 1970. Western Australia.

• Pétalos (6-)8-40(-50). Central floral axis visible as a small projection at the base of the estigmatic cup. Dipped leaves (if they exist) wide, with barely undulating edges.

Gender Nymphaea L., 1753. Cosmopolita.

Synonymy

• Barclayaceae*[1] Archived on 26 September 2007 at Wayback Machine. ♪Euryalaceae[2] Archived on 11 October 2007 at Wayback Machine.