Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Water-lily family
Nymphaeaceae
スイレン科
A family of aquatic plants distributed in temperate to tropical regions worldwide. Positioned at the base of the angiosperm phylogeny, characterized by large floating leaves and showy flowers. Nymphaea tetragona is native to Japan, and numerous cultivars are planted in ponds.
Key Characteristics
- ●Large round to elliptical floating leaves with long petioles
- ●Flowers with numerous petals, sepals, and stamens in spiral arrangement
- ●Well-developed rhizomes anchored in bottom mud
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Latex
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
5 petals / Many
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Basal angiosperms > Nymphaeales > Nymphaeaceae
Divergence Era
Early Cretaceous (ca. 110 Ma onwards)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・An example of aquatic adaptation during early angiosperm diversification
- ・Retention of the primitive trait of spiral arrangement in floral organs
Plants in Water-lily family on this site
AI-generated, needs verification