Biol 324 Introduction To Seed Plant Taxonomy
Waterlilies and relatives (Nymphaeaceae, Cabombaceae, Hydatellaceae)
Nymphaea alba (Nymphaeaceae)
- Tepals and bract-like tepals (outer tepals) grade into each other
- Stamens variable, outer stamens tepaloid
- Many carpels fused into a syncarpous gynoecium
Hydatella (Hydatellaceae)
- Recently classified into waterlily group (Nymphaeales)
- Considered a monocot until reclassified by Saarela et al. (2007)
- Extremely reduced Nymphaealean
- Flowers either a single naked carpel or a single naked stamen, clustered into tiny dense inflorescences
- Very important finding that this is an example of a "reduced nymphaealean"
Characters of Nymphaeales
- Primitive characters: wood vesselless, perianth parts numerous and spirally arranged, separate, stamens numerous and spirally arranged (but not Hydatellaceae!), sometimes grading into petals, pollen monosulcate, pistils simple.
- Derived characters: plants herbaceous, aquatic, in Hydatellaceae flowers reduced to single pistils or stamens.