''Nymphaea mexicana'' is a species of
aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...
that is native to the
Southern United States and
Mexico as far south as
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
.
Common names include yellow water lily, Mexican water lily and banana water lily.
Role as invasive species
''Nymphaea mexicana'' is perhaps best known as a
noxious weed
A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...
in
wetlands outside of its native range, such as
California. It can easily invade similar aquatic ecosystems when it is
introduced. The plant is attractive and has been introduced to new habitats for ornamental purposes.
Description
''Nymphaea mexicana'' has thick
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 and long, spongy creeping
stolon
In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
s which bear bunches of small yellow roots that resemble miniature
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
s. The plant can grow from seedlings or send out new shoots from its stolons. The large, flat leaves are green with purple or brown patterning, and float on the surface of the water. The floating lotus flowers have yellow petals and pointed, star-like, greenish-yellow
sepals. The flowers close at night.
Flora of North America, ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zuccarini, 1832.Banana water-lily, yellow water-lily, herbe au coeur
/ref>
The plant flowers during the summer, and also during spring and fall in warmer areas. Seeds are contained in green berries which grow underwater. It grows in marshes and readily invades canals and other shallow waterways, sometimes becoming a nuisance.
Cytology
The chromosome count is n = 28. The genome size is 586.80 Mb.[Chen, F., Liu, X., Yu, C., Chen, Y., Tang, H., & Zhang, L. (2017)]
"Water lilies as emerging models for Darwin’s abominable mystery."
Horticulture research, 4.
Ecology
Herbivory
The Canvasback duck, ''Aythya valisineria'', feeds on the banana-like roots of the plant.
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile
*
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
mexicana
Plants described in 1832
Freshwater plants
Flora of the Southern United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of Mexico
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