''Nuphar pumila'', the least water-lily or small yellow pond-lily, is an aquatic perennial plant in the

Nymphaeaceae Nymphaeaceae () is a family of flowering plants, commonly called water lilies. They live as rhizomatous aquatic herbs in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains nine genera with about 70 known species. Water li ...

family. It is also known as the dwarf water lily since it looks like a smaller ''

Nuphar lutea ''Nuphar lutea'', the yellow water-lily, brandy-bottle, or spadderdock, is an aquatic plant of the family ''Nymphaeaceae'', native to northern temperate and some subtropical regions of Europe, northwest Africa, western Asia, North America, and ...

''. while ''Nuphar pumila'' has a star-shaped, or lobed form of the stigma disc and glabrous leaf undersides, ''Nuphar lutea'' has a round stigma disc and the undersides of its leaves are occasionally fine-haired on the midribs. Its flowers bloom from July to August and are typically pollinated by flies. The plant is more successful in sunny environments, predominantly in lakes, ponds and slow-flowing parts of rivers from Northern and Central Europe to Northern Asia, with a few noted habitats in North America; ''Nuphar pumila'' is considered

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Description

''Nuphar pumila'' flowers typically have 4–6 petals, are

actinomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

, have many

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 ...

and range from yellow to green depending on maturity. Its floating leaves are large and ovate, with pinnate venation, while the submerged leaves are smaller and round; the plant also has a thick creeping

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 ...

Distribution

''Nuphar pumila'' can be found in western Mongolia, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden, UK and France. ''Nuphar pumila'' can also be found in the United States (at least Michigan's upper peninsula).

Taxonomy

The

family, also known as the water-lily family, comprises eight genera and 70 species; taxonomic synonyms include ''Nuphar lutea'' subsp. ''pumila'', ''Nuphar microphylla'', and ''Nuphar minima''. ''Nuphar pumila'' is also known as ''Bwlyts Lleiaf'' in Welsh, ''Konnanulpukka'' in Finnish, ''Kleine Teichrose'' in German, "Бяцхан сахуу цэцэг" in Mongolian and ''Stulík malý'' in Czech.

Uses

The root can be consumed to help alleviate digestive problems or serve as a tonic.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q149337 Nymphaeaceae