Nymphaeaceae
Nymphaea

Nymphaea stuhlmannii (Engl.) Schweinf. & Gilg

First published in O.Warburg (ed.), Kunene-Sambesi Exped.: 236 (1903)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania. It is a rhizomatous hydrogeophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Nymphaeaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Aquatic herb; rhizomes blackish brown, ovoid to spherical, sometimes irregular, 5–12 cm. long, 3–4 cm. thick, erect with projecting leaf-scars, densely covered with grey mucilaginous hairs; roots long, white, spongy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves bright green or bronze-flushed, sometimes with small purple spots on the underside, elliptic to rounded-ovate, 17–35 cm. long, 12–26 cm. wide, with a deep open sinus but not peltate, the lower lobes acute, entire to shortly distantly undulate-toothed at the margin, glabrous; venation prominent beneath, petiole up to 50 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 10–18 cm. wide on slender peduncles 5–6 mm. wide, held 10–15 cm. above the water, scented (aromatically fide Stuhlmann).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 13–30, bright lemon-yellow or sulphur-yellow, linear-oblong to lanceolate or sometimes almost obovate and narrowed to the base, (4.5–)5–6.5(–8) cm. long, 1–1.5(–2.5) cm. wide, acute, acuminate or sometimes rounded at the apex, with several longitudinal veins. Corolla whitish or yellow-green; tube cylindric, 5 mm. long, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes reflexed, linear-lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm. long, glabrous inside, tomentose outside, apiculate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 60–200, golden yellow or orange-yellow, the outer 3/5 the length of the petals, up to ± 5 cm. long, with connective-appendages 1–10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary orange, hemispherical, ± 3.5 cm. diameter, 16–30-locular; stylar disc 1.5–2.5 cm. wide; stylar processes 3–4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 3–4.5 cm. long, 4–6 cm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds very numerous, grey-brown or straw-coloured, ± ovoid, 0.7–1 mm. long, 0.5–0.75 mm. wide, ± acute at both ends.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube subcampanulate, 4 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, densely tomentose; lobes erect, narrowly lanceolate to triangular or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–5.5 mm. long, densely tomentose. Sepals 4(–5), greenish yellow, obovate to oblong-lanceolate, (5–)7–8.5 cm. long, 2(–3) cm. wide, obtuse to broadly rounded at apex, with numerous longitudinal veins.
Habitat
Shallow seasonal rapidly drying pools where tubers lie exposed on the surface; 1140–1440 m.
Distribution
T1 T4 T5 not known elsewhere, but cultivated at Amani (from material obtained from the Central Railway line, 19 Apr. 1929, Greenway 1519!), in Germany (Göttingen), the U.S.A. and doubtless elsewhere
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0