Nymphaea leibergii — dwarf water-lily
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Facts
Dwarf water-lily is probably rare in much of its range, and enters New England only in northern Maine and Vermont. There are fewer than twenty populations in these states, in remote lakes and slow-moving streams.
Habitat
Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Vermont
- Leaf position
-
- some of the leaves are floating at the surface of the water
- the leaves are all submerged underwater
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade length
- 30–190 mm
- Petal or sepal number
-
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- there are seven or more petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Petal color
- white
- Specific leaf type
- the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment
- Floating leaf shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Underwater leaf blade width
- 20–150 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Underwater leaf length
- 30–190 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Turion length
- 0 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther color
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Flower lower lip length
- 0 mm
- Flower number
- 1
- Flower position
- the flowers are floating on the surface of the water
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence has only one flower on it
- Inflorescence width
- 30–75 mm
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 3–35
- Ovary position
- the sepals and/or petals are attached below the ovary
- Palate on corolla
- no
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal color
- white
- Petal fringed edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
- Petal length
- 20–25 mm
- Petal number
- 8–15
- Petal or sepal number
-
- there are four petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- there are seven or more petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Pistil number
- 1
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
- Sepal length
- 20–30 mm
- Sepal number
- 4
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Spur length
- 0 mm
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
Fruits or seeds
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
-
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- the fruit is a follicle (has one ovary that splits along one side to release the seeds)
- Fruit width
- 20–25 mm
-
Glands or sap
- Oil glands on nodes
- none of the nodes have oil glands
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots do not have transverse septa
- Roots floating in water
- there are no clusters of roots floating in the water
- Turions
- there are no turions on the plant
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Bract position (Sparganium)
- NA
- Bract relative length
- At least 3854 mm
- Bracts
- neither the flowers nor their pedicels have bracts
- Floating leaf basal lobes
- yes
- Floating leaf blade width
- 20–150 mm
- Floating leaf length
- 30–190 mm
- Floating leaf shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Floating leaf tip
- the tip of the floating leaf blade is rounded, with no point
- Floral bract form
- NA
- Floral bract length
- 0 mm
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade length
- 30–190 mm
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins radiate from the base and continue to spread away from the centerline of the leaf, or branch off the central vein at intervals
- Leaf blade width
- 20–150 mm
- Leaf position
-
- some of the leaves are floating at the surface of the water
- the leaves are all submerged underwater
- Leaf special features
- none of the mentioned special features are present
- Leaf-like branch segments
- 0
- Leaf-like branch shape
- NA
- Specific leaf type
- the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment
- Staminate bract edge (Myriophyllum)
- NA
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
- Trap-bladder length
- 0 mm
- Underwater leaf blade edges
- the underwater leaf has smooth edges, without teeth
- Underwater leaf blade shape
-
- the underwater leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the underwater leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Underwater leaf blade veins
- 7–13
- Underwater leaf blade width
- 20–150 mm
- Underwater leaf length
- 30–190 mm
- Underwater leaf stalk
- yes
- Underwater leaf tip shape
- the tip of the underwater leaf is rounded, with no point
- Veins in floating leaf
- 7–13
-
Place
- Habitat
- aquatic
- New England state
-
- Maine
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- in lakes or ponds
- in rivers or streams
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem trails along the substrate, or floats in the water
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- extremely rare to rare (S-rank: S1S2), threatened (code: T)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Nymphaea leibergii Morong NC
dwarf water-lily. Castalia leibergii Morong; Nymphaea tetragona Georgi ssp. leibergii (Morong) Porsild; N. tetragona Georgi var. leibergii (Morong) Boivin • ME, VT; northern portion of states. Circumneutral water of lakes and slow-moving streams.
1×2. Nymphaea leibergii × Nymphaea odorata → This rare water-lily hybrid is known from ME, VT. It is sterile and intermediate in morphology between the parents.
Native to North America?
Yes