Nymphaea ondinea is an aquatic plant in the family Nymphaeaceae native to northwestern Australia.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
It is a perennial, tuberous plant with 1–6 oblong, 1.5–2.5 cm long, and 1–2 cm wide tubers. The contractile roots are 1–1.5 mm wide.
The plant has floating or submerged leaves.
The submerged leaves with undulate leaf margins
[Ščobák, J. (2019). Barclaya vs. Ondinea
]
/ref> are 6–24 cm long.
Generative characteristics
The pink to purple, solitary flower with a terete,[
Date ] The gynoecium consists of 3–14 carpels.
Taxonomy
It was first collected in 1921 by Charles Gardner, but it was not then seen to be a new species.[Löhne, Wiersema, Borsch (2009) "The unusual Ondinea, actually just another Australian water-lily of Nymphaea subg. Anecphya (Nymphaeaceae)." Willdenowia 39: 55-58.] The type specimen was collected by W. Leutert North-East of Kalimburu, Kimberley district, Western Australia on the 15th of April 1968.[Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-g). Ondinea purpurea Hartog. Tropicos. Retrieved 2 December 2024, from http://legacy.tropicos.org/Name/100354803][ Ondinea purpurea
/ref> It is placed in Nymphaea subg. Anecphya.]
Etymology
The species name ondinea is derived from the name of the water nymph in the 1958 ballet Ondine.
Ecology
It occurs in sandstone streams.[Kenneally, Kevin F., & Schneider, Edward L. (1983). The genus Ondinea
/ref>
]
Conservation
Nymphaea ondinea is not threatened.[
(Accessed 24 June 2023).] However, its subspecies Nymphaea ondinea subsp. petaloidea is classified as a Priority 1: Poorly-known species under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.[
/ref>][ Nymphaea ondinea subsp. petaloidea
/ref>
]
Cultivation
The attempts to grow Nymphaea ondinea have been met with low levels of success.[Gilman, A. V., & Padgett, D. J. (2002). NEBC MEETING NEWS. Rhodora, 104(920), 434–438. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23313515]
