Nymphaea ampla

 ( Ampla ) 

Nymphaea ampla, also known as the dotleaf waterlily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to Texas, Florida, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern and western South America.

It is depicted in Mayan art alongside jaguar and kings, held cultural significance as a symbol of life, fertility, and birth, with its opiate-like effects used for calming and inducing mild trances.Emboden, W.A. (1979) " Nymphaea ampla and Other Mayan Narcotic Plants." Mexicon 1:50–52.

Nymphaea ampla /ref> with dark brown,Henkel, F., Rehnelt, F., Dittmann, L. (1907).  Das Buch der Nymphaeaceen oder Seerosengewächse. pp. 57–58. Deutschland: Henkel. ovoid, unbranched rhizomes without stolons. Nymphaea ampla in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2025, from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500822 The coriaceous, ovate to orbiculate floating leaves with a dentate marginBreukel, H. (2010). Nymphaea ampla /ref> are 15–45 cm long, and 15–45 cm wide.

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Generative characteristics

The yellowish white, fragrant, diurnal, 7–18 cm wide flowers extend well beyond the water surface.

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Cytology

The chromosome count is n = 14. The genome size is 772.62 Mb.Chen, F., Liu, X., Yu, C., Chen, Y., Tang, H., & Zhang, L. (2017). "Water lilies as emerging models for Darwin’s abominable mystery." Horticulture research, 4. The chloroplast genome is 159879 bp long.Gruenstaeudl, M., Nauheimer, L., & Borsch, T. (2017). Plastid genome structure and phylogenomics of Nymphaeales: conserved gene order and new insights into relationships. Plant systematics and evolution, 303, 1251-1270.

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Taxonomy

It was first described as Castalia ampla by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1805. It was moved to the genus Nymphaea as Nymphaea ampla by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1821. It is placed in the subgenus Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras. Accessed 25 May 2025.

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Habitat

It occurs in ponds, canals, Accessed May 25, 2025. open freshwater lagoons, and drainage ditches.

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Cultural significance

Nymphaea ampla is widely represented in Mayan art, especially in its depictions with jaguars and Mayan kings. Its cultural importance can be seen in one of the Mayan names of the plant; nikte’ha’ (The Maya term nikte’ha’ literally means “flower of the water”, but has also been interpreted symbolically as “vulva of the water”) as it would have represented life, sexual activity, fertility, and birth. The plant causes opiate-like effects on the user and is known to have been used as a calmative and mild trance inducer.Emboden, W.A. (1979) " Nymphaea ampla and Other Mayan Narcotic Plants." Mexicon 1:50–52.

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Conservation

In Guadeloupe it has been classified as near threatened (NT) in the France red list. Nymphaea ampla /ref> The NatureServe conservation status is G5 Secure.

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Gallery

Categories: Ampla, Freshwater Plants, Entheogens, Flora Of Texas, Flora Of Florida, Flora Of Mexico, Flora Of Central America, Flora Of The Caribbean, Flora Of Northern South America, Flora Of Western South America, Plants Described In 1805