Nuphar
Nuphar is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with
a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-
lily (Eurasian species; shared with many other genera in the same family), pond-lily, alligator-
bonnet or bonnet lily, and spatterdock (North American species).
Etymology[edit]
The etymology of the word is: medieval Latin nuphar, from medieval Latin nenuphar, thence
from Arabic nīnūfar, thence from Persian nīlūfar, thence from Sanskrit nīlōtpala = blue lotus flower.
[2]
For botanical gender, the name is treated as feminine.[3][4]
Taxonomy[edit]
Flower of Nuphar subintegerrima Makino attended by hover fly. Note the undersized petals
Unripe fruit of Nuphar lutea
The genus is closely related to Nymphaea. Nuphar differs in that its petals are much smaller than its
4-6 bright yellow-coloured sepals, whereas in Nymphaea, the petals are much larger than the
sepals. The genera also differ in the maturation of their fruit; while maturing, Nuphar fruit remain
above water level on their scapes, whereas fruit of Nymphaea sink below water level immediately
after their flowers close, and there they mature. In both genera the leaves float and have a radial
notch from the circumference to the point of attachment of the petiole. Depending on the species,
the leaves of most species range from cordate to practically circular with the petiole attached in the
middle, giving a peltate appearance. Some however, have modified versions of that leaf morphology;
for example the leaves of Nuphar sagittifolia have leaves of an elongated sagittate form.
The number of species in the genus is still under review.[3][5] Until the mid-20th century, some
botanists treated the genus as just a single variable species (for which the European name N.
lutea has priority),[6][7] while some other authorities accepted about a dozen more species on the
basis of traditional taxonomic standards.[4] Recent molecular work has shown that there are
substantial differences between the Eurasian species (sect. Nuphar) and American species
(sect. Astylus), except for North American N. microphylla which clusters with the Eurasian species.[4]
[8]
Molecular taxonomy has shown conclusively that recognition of so few species is out of the
question, and forced an increased number of recognised species; some sources list about seventy.
[3]
The Kew Gardens plant list includes over twenty accepted species, subspecies and varieties; it
also has a similar number as yet unresolved, together with over twenty synonyms.[5]
Species[edit]
Nuphar Section Astylus[9][8]
Nuphar advena (Aiton) W.T.Aiton –Spatterdock
†Nuphar carlquistii DeVore, Taylor, & Pigg
Nuphar polysepala Engelm.
Nuphar sagittifolia (Walter) Pursh
Nuphar variegata Engelm. ex Durand – Variegated pond-lily
Nuphar Section Nuphar[8]
Nuphar japonica DC.
Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm. – Yellow water-lily (type species)
Nuphar microphylla (Pers.) Fern[10]
Nuphar pumila (Timm) DC. – Least water-lily
There also are several interspecific hybrids.
Ecology[edit]
Nuphar species occur in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers, growing in water up to 5 metres
deep; different species are variously adapted either to nutrient-rich waters (e.g. Nuphar lutea) or
nutrient-poor waters (e.g. Nuphar pumila).[11]
Wetland soils are hypoxic, and this genus is known to be capable of temporary growth even in the
absence of oxygen.[12] Also there can be mass flow of oxygen-containing air, entering by means of
the young leaves, passing through the rhizome, and exiting through the older leaves.[13] Both of these
physiological adaptations to flooding are considered typical of many wetland and aquatic plants.[14]
Like many other vigorously growing members of the Nymphaeaceae, some species of Nuphar tend
to cover the water surface completely, blocking out the light and thereby killing both submerged
plants and less competitive surface-growing aquatics. They also produce alkaloids that have
experimentally been shown to be allelopathic, though it is not clear how relevant the compounds
may be in the wild.[15]
Birds such as some species of ducks eat Nuphar seeds, and mammals such as beaver
and coypu eat the roots of at least some species. Deer eat flowers and young leaves.[16]
Use as medicine, food, and otherwise[edit]
Nuphar species are less generally useful as food or medicine than various species in the related
water lily genus Nymphaea. Claims of the edibility or otherwise of the plant have varied wildly, which
might in some cases have reflected errors and confusion, but in the light of the recognition of an
increased number of species, the confusion might largely be because hitherto unrecognised species
differ in their attributes.
However, some species have been used by indigenous peoples, and the leaves are grazed by deer
and other animals.[17][18] Young shoots and leaves sometimes were cooked but might be too bitter to
eat. Whether the roots may be eaten, as is widely reported, is open to doubt; some sources claim
that they are too bitter, too full of tannin, or simply too poisonous to eat unsoaked, except when
treated for so long that they are not viable as a famine food. All sources however, agree that ripe
seeds may be popped or variously used in cookery. They then are pleasant and nutritious, but
require a lot of work to harvest and strip from the fruit capsule. To some extent this may be
circumvented rotting the fruit under water for three weeks or more, after which removing the seeds is
easier. The rotting material however, is very unpleasant to deal with. The flower petals are said to be
used in making tea, but it is not clear whether that refers to the petals proper, or to the larger and
more conspicuous sepals. The leaves of some species are large enough to be of use in wrapping
food, for example in cooking.[18]
Alkaloids in the genus include nupharolutine, nuphamine and nupharidine.[19] The presence of such
compounds could explain some of the medicinal uses[17]
There has been growing interest in Nuphar alkaloids, their biological and pharmacological
significance and their synthesis in recent decades. It has been speculated that these and other
bioactive compounds might be related to some of the folk-medical applications of the plants.[20][21]
Apart from pharmaceuticals, the leaves of Nuphar are reported to contain sufficient concentrations of
tannin to have been widely used for tanning and dyeing leather, and also as a styptic for staunching
bleeding.[16] The roots of some species also contain sufficient tannin to have been used for tanning.[18]
