''Nymphaea leibergii'' ( syn. ''Nymphaea tetragona''), also known as the dwarf waterlily and Leiberg's waterlily, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

emergent aquatic plant belonging to the genus ''

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 ...

''. It can be found across northern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in ponds and slow moving streams. Populations of this plant are infrequent throughout its range, and it is protected as a state threatened plant in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Description

This plant is rooted at unbranched

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s which give rise to long smooth petioles which terminate in smooth ovate floating leaves. Leaves can be up to 15–19 cm, and have 7-13 radiating veins. The floating

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 generally typical of waterlilies. They are radially symmetric with prominent yellow

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and many white petals. The flowers open each day and close again each night. Its habitats include ponds, shallow lakes, slow-moving streams, and edges of slow, open water channels through marshes, up to a depth of approximately .

Taxonomy

It is similar to ''

Nymphaea odorata ''Nymphaea odorata'', also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the g ...

'' but much smaller. This species has been found to hybridize with ''Nymphaea odorata'' resulting in a sterile hybrid of intermediate morphology.Nyphaea leibergii
Flora of North America Vol. 3 ''Nymphaea leibergii'' is also closely related '' Nymphaea tetragona'', these two species of "small" waterlilies where once thought to be the same species.Nymphaea tetragona and Nymphaea leibergii (Nymphaeaceae): two species of diminutive water-lilies in North America
J.H. Wiersema. 1996. Brittonia. Volume 48, Number 4 / October, 1996 Today they are recognized as a distinct but form section ''Chamaenyphaea'' of the subgenera ''Nymphaea''. ''N. leibergii'' has an overlapping range with the circumboreal ''N. tetragona''. However, the former is more common in the central and eastern parts of northern North America, while the latter is more common in the northwestern and western sections. There are differences between the species in both the floral and vegetative parts. In the flower receptacle, where the base is elliptic in ''N. leibergii'', the base has angular protrusions and appears tetragonal in ''N. tetragona''. ''N. leibergii'' also has fewer petals and stamens, and a yellowish-brown stigma, where the stigma is purple in ''N. tetragona''.

Etymology

The species epitaph is in honor of the Swedish-American botanist, forester, and plant collector

John Bernhard Leiberg John Bernhard Leiberg (7 October 1853 – 28 October 1913) was a Swedish-American botanical explorer, forester, and bryology, bryologist. He was a self-taught naturalist who worked in the northwestern United States. Biography Leiberg was born in ...

(1853-1913), who discovered the plant in the late 1800s.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7071187 leibergii Plants described in 1888 Flora of North America