Nuphar × spenneriana is a species of rhizomatous aquatic plant native to Europe. It is a natural hybrid of Nuphar lutea and Nuphar pumila.
Description Vegetative characteristics Nuphar × spenneriana is a perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic plant.Stroh, P. A., Walker, K. J., Humphrey, T. A., Pescott, O. L., Burkmar, R. J. (2023). "Plant Atlas 2020: Mapping Changes in the Distribution of the British and Irish Flora." p. 109. Vereinigtes Königreich: Princeton University Press. The leaf blade is 7–18 cm long, and 5–14 cm wide. The abaxial leaf surface has trichomes towards the leaf margin but trichomes are absent towards the centre. Trichomes also may be absent entirely. The leaf has 15-22 primary nerves.Müller, F., Ritz, C. M., Wesche, K., & Welk, E. (2021). Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband (22nd ed.). p. 131. Springer Spektrum. The petiole is 3–7 mm wide. Generative characteristics The sepals are 25 mm long, and 20 mm wide. The petals are 8 mm long.Van De Weyer, K., Schmidt, C., & Ministerium für Ländliche Entwicklung, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Brandenburg. (2007). Bestimmungsschlüssel für die aquatischen Makrophyten (Gefäßpflanzen, Armleuchteralgen und Moose) in Deutschland. p. 42. The androecium consists of 60-100 stamens. The up to 9.2 mm wide, slightly crenate stigmatic disc has 9-15 rays.Schou, J. C., Moeslund, B., Weyer, K. v. d., Wiegleb, G., Lansdown, R. V., Holm, P., Baastrup-Spohr, L., Sand-Jensen, K. (2023). "Aquatic Plants of Northern and Central Europe Including Britain and Ireland." p. 74. USA: Princeton University Press. Cytology The chromosome count is 2n = 34.Pellicer, J., Kelly, L. J., Magdalena, C., & Leitch, I. J. (2013). Insights into the dynamics of genome size and chromosome evolution in the early diverging angiosperm lineage Nymphaeales (water lilies). Genome, 56(8), 437-449.
Reproduction Generative reproduction It is fertile, but the pollen may be less viable.Volkova, P. A., Arutyunyan, N. G., Schanzer, I. A., Chemeris, E. V., & Bobrov, A. A. (2018). "Genetic variability of Eurasian Nuphar species unravels possible routes in which freshwater plants could fill their wide areas." Aquatic Botany, 145, 49-57. Pollen fertility can reach 73%. However, it can also be as low as 14% in F1 hybrids. In another case, a female sterility rate of 80%, and a male sterility rate of 85% have been reported. The seeds grow more rapidly than those of the parent species.
Taxonomy Publication It was first described by Jean François Aimé Théophile Philippe Gaudin in 1828. Natural hybridisation It likely arose 10 000 years ago, when both parent species came into contact.Vallejo‐Marín, M., & Hiscock, S. J. (2016). "Hybridization and hybrid speciation under global change." New Phytologist, 211(4), 1170-1187. Natural hybridisation is a threat to Nuphar pumila, one of the parent species, as the hybrid replaces populations of Nuphar pumila.Kozlowski, G., & Eggenberg, S. (2005). "Vorkommen der Kleinen Teichrose Nuphar pumila und des Hybrids N. x intermedia in der Schweiz." Botanica Helvetica, 115, 125-136. In Eastern Europe and Asia observations of intermediate plants are rare. In Western Europe hybridisation appears to have played a more significant role.
Etymology The nothospecific epithet spenneriana honours Fridolin Carl Leopold Spenner (1798-1841)."Allgemeine deutsche biographie." (1893). p. 123. (n.p.): Duncker und Humblot.Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. (n.d.). Deutsche biographie - Spenner, Fridolin Karl Leopold. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz80689.html
Ecology Habitat It occurs in rivers, lakes, streams, and pools.Preston, C. D., Croft, J. M. (2022). "Aquatic Plants in Britain and Ireland." p. 40 Niederlande: Brill.
References