Nymphaea thermarum
Tiny Rwandan water lily saved from extinction by seed propagation.
Last updated
Nymphaea thermarum, also known as the Miniature Rwandan water lily, is a species of water lily endemic to Rwanda.
Scientific classification
- CladeTracheophytes
- CladeAngiosperms
- OrderNymphaeales
- FamilyNymphaeaceae
- GenusNymphaea
- GenusNymphaea
- SpeciesNymphaea thermarum
Named by Eb.Fisch.
Close relatives
Other species of Nymphaea with a Codexery entry.
- Nymphaea lotus Nymphaea lotus
- Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea Nymphaea nouchali
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Nymphaea thermarum (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 1600186 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (CR)
- LC
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR▲ this species
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
Quick Facts
- Species
- thermarum
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Its native habitat was a small area of damp mud formed by overflow from a freshwater hot spring. Before extinction, Fischer sent specimens to Bonn Botanic Gardens, but botanists could not propagate them from seed.
The first successful germination was achieved by Carlos Magdalena at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. During this time, a rat ate one of the last two cultivated plants in Germany. Botanic gardens have been criticized for not providing plant material to repatriate to Rwanda.
Reader's Guide
Nymphaea thermarum is significant as a diminutive aquatic species that was saved from extinction through ex situ cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its small size, rapid lifecycle, and small genome have led to proposals for its use as a model species for basal angiosperms, including studies of seed evolution. Its diploid chromosome count is 2n = 28, and its chloroplast genome is identical to that of Nymphaea heudelotii. The species' cultivation potential as a houseplant has been noted, though repatriation efforts have faced criticism.
More in Aquatic & Wetland Plants
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Nymphaea thermarum (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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