Blue Egyptian Lotus

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Blue Egyptian Lotus
• Dwarf Madagascar Lily

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Nymphaea vivipara

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it is ordered under Nymphaeales and placed in the family Nymphaeaceae. Ultimately, Nymphaea micrantha is identified by its specific genus, Nymphaea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical range that extends across several distinct regions of the African continent. In Northern Africa, its presence is documented within the borders of Egypt. Moving toward the West Tropical Africa region, the species is found in Burkina. The distribution continues through several coastal and inland nations, including Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Finally, the plant's recorded range encompasses the country of Guinea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Nymphaea micrantha is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons within its aquatic habitat. As a specialized hydrophyte, it is structurally adapted to thrive in water, utilizing its physiological traits to navigate submerged or floating environments. Furthermore, its life form is classified as a cryptophyte, indicating that its essential regenerative organs are protected underground or beneath the water surface, ensuring survival during unfavorable environmental conditions.

Life form :

hydrophyte

Life form :

cryptophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Nymphaea micrantha is characterized by its specialized adaptations to a strictly aquatic habitat, functioning as a fully aquatic organism within its ecosystem. Structurally, the plant is self-supporting, lacking any climbing mechanisms or reliance on external structures for vertical growth, as it relies on the buoyancy of its foliage and the stability of its submerged components. It operates as an independent organism, showing no parasitic tendencies toward other species, and it is fundamentally terrestrial in its evolutionary origin while being specialized for life in water rather than functioning as an epiphyte. Furthermore, the plant exhibits a non-woody, herbaceous texture, consisting of flexible stems and fleshy leaves that are suited for the fluid dynamics of its aquatic environment.

Aquatic :

aquatic

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Nymphaea micrantha has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 6-BA, IBA.

6-BA

1. Plant methods

IBA

1. Plant methods