Nymphaea alba

Description

Nymphaea alba has a white flower that usually blooms during the daytime in most summer. The flower blooms on top of a big rounded green leaf up to 30 cm: both leaves float on the water's surface. At first, the flower bloom is cup-shaped, with a size of around 8 cm, then it rises to 20 cm and becomes star-shaped over time. The flower's petals are arranged in a row, pointing up surrounding several yellow stamens. The leaves can be up to 30 cm in diameter and take up a spread of 150 cm per plant.

Cytology

The chromosome count is n = 42. The genome size is 1950 Mb.

Taxonomy

It was first published and described by Carl Linnaeus in his book 'Species Plantarum', on page 510 in 1753. It is the type species of its genus. Within the subgenus Nymphaea subg. Nymphaea it is placed in the section Nymphaea sect. Nymphaea.

The red variety (Nymphaea alba f. rosea) is cultivated from lake Fagertärn ("Fair tarn") in the forest of Tiveden, Sweden, where it was discovered in the early 19th century. The discovery led to large-scale exploitation which nearly made it extinct in the wild before it was protected.

Nymphaea candida J. Presl is sometimes considered a subspecies of N. alba (N. alba L. subsp. candida (J. Presl) Korsh.).

Distribution and habitat

Nymphaea alba is native all over Europe and in parts of North Africa and the Middle East in fresh water. In Africa, it is found in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In temperate Asia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Turkey. It is found in tropical Asia, within the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Lastly, within Europe, it is found in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, France, Portugal and Spain. It has been introduced to the Azores, Bangladesh, Chile, parts of China, Myanmar, and New Zealand.

Nymphaea alba grows in ponds, ditches, lakes, or canals because these places have still and very slow-moving water. For example, lakes and ponds were created by gravel extraction as fishponds or for livestock, and lakes are just temporary features filled with sediment under and developing fen vegetation. Moreover, canals and ditches are more common than ponds since these are artificial water bodies created for transport or recreation; these places can support wildlife, such as attracting other species of insects or providing a shelter for frogs and early nectar insects.

Phytochemistry

It contains the active alkaloids nupharine and nymphaeine, and is a sedative and an aphrodisiac/anaphrodisiac depending on sources. Although roots and stalks are used in traditional herbal medicine along with the flower, the petals and other flower parts are the most potent. Alcohol can be used to extract the active alkaloids, and it also boosts the sedative effects. The root of the plant was used by monks and nuns for hundreds of years as an anaphrodisiac, being crushed and mixed with wine. In the earliest printed medical textbooks, authors maintained this use, though warning against consuming large and frequent doses.

Cultivation

Nymphaea alba needs plenty of space since it grows up to 4 in tall and 3 to 5 ft wide. This plant performs best under full sun in loamy soil and undisturbed water. The basket covers the plant with a pea shingle placed under the water's surface around 6 to 10 inches, and the lower part of the plant can be twice the initial planting depth when the plant is formed. This plant can be fed during the growing season by proprietary aquatic fertilizer.

Water Lilly is valuable and nutritious when people can use the peduncle and young leaf for vegetables, and rhizomes can be used as food supplements; moreover, local people can use different parts of the plant for various purposes, such as making herbal medicine to treat diarrhea, piles or cough, or using as a fragrance and ornamental properties. Therefore, Nymphaceae alba (water lily) is collected in the wild and displayed in the market.

20150623Nymphaea alba2.jpg Eriksbergnäckrosor.jpg|red cultivar

References

References

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