Nymphaea × borealis is a species of waterlily native to Sweden, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands,Haveman, R., Jager, H., & de Ronde, I. (2018). Een echo uit een koud verleden: het Nymphaeetum candidae Miljan 1958 in Nederland. Stratiotes, 52, 5-31. the Czech Republic, and East European Russia. It is a natural hybrid of Nymphaea alba and Nymphaea candida.
Description
Vegetative characteristics The primary leaf nervation of the basal lobes is slightly arched.Langbehn, H. (2010). Die Seerosen im Norden des Landkreises Celle. Floristische Notizen aus der Lüneburger Heide, 18, 19-24. Generative characteristics The floral base is tetragonous. The filament is lanceolate. The gynoecium consists of 14–18 carpels. The slightly concave, yellow stigmatic disk has a hemispherical, short projection in the centre. Cytology It exhibits an intermediate genome size.Dąbrowska, M., Skubała, K., Volkova, P., Suda, J., & Zalewska-Gałosz, J. (2015). "Genome size and phenotypic variation of Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) species from Eastern Europe and temperate Asia." Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 84(2).
Reproduction Generative reproduction Nymphaea × borealis exhibits lower fertility and pollen production. Natural hybridisation Nymphaea × borealis can be formed in areas of sympatric occurrence of the parent species, but the natural hybridisation of both parent species is not very frequent. Genetically confirmed hybrids are a rare occurrence.Kabatova, K., Vit, P., & Suda, J. (2014). "Species boundaries and hybridization in central-European Nymphaea species inferred from genome size and morphometric data." Preslia, 86(2), 131-154.
Taxonomy It was first described by Edmond Gustave Camus in 1898. Etymology The hybrid name borealis means north or northern.A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.mobot.org/mobot/latindict/keyDetail.aspx?keyWord=borealis
Ecology It is a host plant to the phytopathogenic fungus species Rhamphospora nymphaeae.Kruse, J. (n.d.). Rhamphospora nymphaeae. (Obligat) Phytoparasitische Kleinpilze. Mitteleuropa Mit Schwerpunkt Deutschland. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://www.phytoparasiten.de/rhamphospora-nymphaeae/
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