''Nymphaea georginae'' is a species of waterlily native to the Northern Territory, and the state of Queensland, Australia.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

''Nymphaea georginae'' is a perennial plant with 4 cm wide, globose rhizomes. The orbicular to elliptic, 60 cm wide floating leaves have dentate margins.Jacobs, S. W., & Hellquist, C. B. (2006)
"Three new species of ''Nymphaea'' (Nymphaeaceae) in Australia."
Telopea, 11(2), 155-160.

Generative characteristics

The fragrant flowers can extend up to 30 cm above the water surface. The flowers have 4 sepals, and 12-26 petals. The androecium consists of 150-250 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 7-19 carpels. The 4 cm wide, globose fruit bears globose to subglobose, 2.5-4 mm wide seeds with interrupted rows of 0.1-0.15 mm long trichomes. The flowers are the most fragrant flowers within ''Nymphaea'' subgenus ''Anecphya''.

Taxonomy

Publication

It was first described by

Surrey Wilfrid Laurance Jacobs Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

and Carl Barre Hellquist in 2006.

Type specimen

The type specimen of ''Nymphaea georginae'' was collected by S. Jacobs and C. B. Hellquist in the

Georgina River The Georgina River is the north-westernmost of the three major rivers of the Channel Country in Central West Queensland, that also flows through a portion of the Northern Territory, in central Australia. Part of the Lake Eyre basin, the Georgin ...

Camooweal Camooweal is an outback town and locality in the City of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the Queensland border with the Northern Territory. In the , the locality of Camooweal had a population of 208 people. Geography The l ...

, Queensland, Australia on the 19th April 2005.Holotype of ''Nymphaea georginae'' S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq. amily NYMPHAEACEAE (n.d.). JSTOR. Retrieved December 30, 2023, from https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.nsw921918

Placement within ''Nymphaea''

It is placed in ''Nymphaea'' subgenus ''Anecphya''.

Etymology

The specific epithet ''georginae'' refers to the Georgina River, which is the type locality.

Conservation

The NCA status of ''Nymphaea georginae'' is Special Least Concern (SL).

Ecology

Habitat

''Nymphaea georginae'' grows in

billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

s and flood channels, habitats characterised by prolonged periods of drought and equally extended wet periods.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17253237 georginae Endemic flora of Australia Flora of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 2006