Nymphoides

Scientific name

Nymphoides Ség.

Common names

water snowflake, banana lily, floating heart, fringed water-lily, wavy marshwort

Family

Menyanthaceae

Similar genera

Brasenia, Caltha, Hydrocleys, Hydrocotyle, Nuphar, Nymphaea, Villarsia

Native distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Species cultivated

Nymphoides aurantiaca (Dalzell) Kuntze

N. aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze

N. crenata (F. Muell.) Kuntze

N. ezannoi Berhaut

N. fallax Ornduff

N. forbesiana (Griseb.) Kuntze

N. geminata (R. Br.) Kuntze

N. hydrophylla (Lour.) Kuntze

N. indica (L.) Kuntze

N. microphylla (A. St.Hil.) Kuntze

N. minima (F. Muell.) Kuntze

N. montana Aston

N. peltata (S.G. Gmel.) Kuntze

N. spongiosa Aston

Adventive distribution

Nymphoides aquatica is introduced into Japan.

N. cristata (Roxb.) Kuntze and N. indica are introduced to the United States.

N. geminata is introduced into New Zealand.

N. peltata is introduced into New Zealand and the United States.

Weed status

Nymphoides geminata and N. peltata are significant weeds in several countries.

Habit

submersed, attached basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette and ascending-stoloniferous stem with floating leaves and emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
pedicillate flowers

Brief description

Annual or perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
. With or without a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette of leaves, sometimes with banana-shaped root tubers. Stem compact or ascending, floating just below water surface, inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
and roots produced at nodes, or the inflorescences produced on laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
branches separately from the leaves and roots. Submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
leaves petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
, reniformreniform:
(adj) kidney-shaped
to orbicularorbicular:
(adj) circular in outline
, base attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
to cordatecordate:
(adj) heart-shaped; in the form of two rounded lobes
, marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
undulate; floating leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
ovate, orbicularorbicular:
(adj) circular in outline
, or chevron shaped, basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
slit narrow or wide, veins palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
, marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or crenatecrenate:
(adj) (of a margin) with shallow, rounded teeth
. Clusters of solitary flowers on elongate pedicelspedicels:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
, produced either from nodes appearing to arise from base of floating leaves, or on separate laterallateral:
(adj) on or pertaining to the side of an organ or structure
branches. Flowers opening above water surface, actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
; sepals green, triangular; petals 4-7, fused at base, central region fimbriatefimbriate:
(adj) fringed with long hairs or processes
, yellow or white, sometimes pink. Dispersal by seeds or stem fragments.

Natural habitat

still waters of all types of water bodies

Additional comments

A genus containing 34 species worldwide, various species of Nymphoides are commonly grown in outdoor ponds.