''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of aquatic

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Menyanthaceae Menyanthaceae is a family of aquatic and wetland plants in the order Asterales. There are approximately 60-70 species in six genera distributed worldwide. The simple or compound leaves arise alternately from a creeping rhizome. In the submers ...

. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''

Nymphaea ''Nymphaea'' () is a genus of hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some taxa occur as introduc ...

''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

that hold the small

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s above the water surface.

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are

sympetalous Sympetaly (fused petals) is a flower characteristic that historically was used to classify a grouping of plants termed Sympetalae, but this term has been abandoned in newer molecular based classifications, although the grouping has similarity to ...

, most often divided into five lobes (petals). The petals are either yellow or white, and may be adorned with lateral wings or covered in small hairs. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

consists of either an

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

late cluster of flowers or a lax

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

, with internodes occurring between generally paired flowers. Species of ''Nymphoides'' are sold as aquarium plants, including the "banana plant", '' N. aquatica'' and the "water snowflake", '' N. indica''. Species native to the United States are '' N. cordata'' in the northeast and '' N. aquatica'' in the southeast. ''

Nymphoides peltata ''Nymphoides peltata'' (syn. ''Villarsia nymphaeoides'', ''Limnanthemum peltatum'' S.G. Gmel., ''Nymphoides nymphaeoides'' (L.) Britton, fringed water lily, yellow floating heart, floating heart, water fringe, entire marshwort) is perennial, root ...

'' is native to Europe and Asia, but can be found in the United States as an invasive aquatic weed. The non-native species '' N. cristata'' and '' N. indica'' also reportedly occur in Florida (Jacono 2000). ''

Nymphoides hydrophylla ''Nymphoides hydrophylla'', commonly known as crested floating-heart, is an aquatic plant of the family Menyanthaceae native to tropical Asia. It has cordate floating leaves that support a lax inflorescence of dainty white flowers with fringed pe ...

'' slim

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

(spear) are used as

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

Meinong District Meinong District (WG: Meinung, Hakka: 瀰濃 Mî-nùng, ) is a Hakka district in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Meinong is one of the four districts in Kaohsiung that is the central focus of Hakka cultural development, the others being Jiasian District, Shanl ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Numerous species of ''Nymphoides'' grow in Australia, and others exist in Africa, America, and Asia. ;Species Nymphoides indica1

There are approximately 50 species of ''Nymphoides'', including:

Pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers Tropics, tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeogra ...

: * ''

Nymphoides indica ''Nymphoides indica'' is an aquatic plant in the Menyanthaceae, native to tropical areas around the world. It is sometimes cultivated, and has become a minor weed in Florida, where it resembles the native ''Nymphoides aquatica''. Common names i ...

'' (L.) Kuntze Africa: * '' Nymphoides bosseri'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides brevipedicellata'' (Vatke) A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides elegans'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides ezannoi'' Berhaut * '' Nymphoides forbesiana'' (Griseb.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides guineensis'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides humilis'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides milnei'' A.Raynal * ''

Nymphoides moratiana ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides rautaneni'' (N.E.Br.) A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides tenuissima'' A.Raynal * '' Nymphoides thunbergiana'' (Griseb.) Kuntze North America: * ''

Nymphoides aquatica ''Nymphoides aquatica'' is an aquatic plant in the Menyanthaceae, native to the southeastern United States from Texas to Maryland. It is known variously as the banana plant, banana lily, and the big floatingheart. It is most commonly called the ...

'' (J.F.Gmel.) Kuntze * ''

Nymphoides cordata ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' (Elliott) Fernald Central and South America: * '' Nymphoides fallax'' Ornduff * '' Nymphoides flaccida'' L.Sm. * '' Nymphoides grayana'' (Griseb.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides herzogii'' A.Galàn-Mera & G.Navarro * '' Nymphoides humboldtiana'' (Kunth) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides microphylla'' (A.St.-Hil.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides verrucosa'' (R.E.Fries)A.Galàn-Mera & G.Navarro Eurasia: * ''

'' (S.G.Gmel.) Kuntze Asia: * ''

Nymphoides balakrishnanii ''Nymphoides balakrishnanii'' is an aquatic plant in the Menyanthaceae, endemic to lateritic plateaus of the southern Western Ghats of India. Distribution This species is restricted to a seasonal pond in the lateritic hillocks of Koovapara, ...

'' P.Biju, Josekutty, Haneef & Augustine * ''

Nymphoides coreana ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' (Léveille) Hara * '' Nymphoides hastata'' (Dop) Kerr * ''

'' (Lour.) Kuntze * ''

Nymphoides krishnakesara ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' K.T.Joseph & Sivar. * '' Nymphoides lungtanensis'' S.P.Li, T.H.Hsieh & C.C.Lin * '' Nymphoides macrospermum'' Vasudevan * '' Nymphoides siamensis'' (Ostenf.) Kerr * '' Nymphoides sivarajanii'' K.T.Joseph * '' Nymphoides tonkinensis'' (Dop) P.H.Ho Asia and Australia: * '' Nymphoides aurantiaca'' (Dalzell) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides parvifolia'' (Wall.) Kuntze Australia: * '' Nymphoides beaglensis'' Aston * '' Nymphoides crenata'' (F.Muell.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides disperma'' Aston * '' Nymphoides elliptica'' Aston * '' Nymphoides exigua'' (F.Muell.) Kuntze * ''

Nymphoides exiliflora ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' (F.Muell.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides furculifolia'' Specht * ''

Nymphoides geminata ''Nymphoides geminata'', commonly known as entire marshwort, is an aquatic plant of the family Menyanthaceae native to eastern Australia. It was first described by Robert Brown in 1810 as ''Villarsia geminata'', but was transferred to the genus ...

'' (R.Br.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides hydrocharioides'' (F.Muell.) Kuntze * '' Nymphoides montana'' Aston * '' Nymphoides planosperma'' Aston * '' Nymphoides quadriloba'' Aston * '' Nymphoides simulans'' Aston * ''

Nymphoides spinulosperma ''Nymphoides spinulosperma'', commonly known as marbled marshwort, is an aquatic plant of the family Menyanthaceae Menyanthaceae is a family of aquatic and wetland plants in the order Asterales. There are approximately 60-70 species in six ge ...

'' Aston * '' Nymphoides spongiosa'' Aston * '' Nymphoides stygia'' (J.M.Black) H.Eichler * ''

Nymphoides subacuta ''Nymphoides'', or floatingheart, is a genus of aquatic flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae. The genus name refers to their resemblance to the water lily ''Nymphaea''. ''Nymphoides'' are aquatic plants with submerged roots and floating l ...

'' Aston * '' Nymphoides triangularis'' Aston

References

Jacono, C. 2000. Know ''Nymphoides''. ''Aquaphyte'' 22 (supplemental insert)

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158196 Asterales genera