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Nymphaea leibergii Morong

Leiberg's Water-lily

Nymphaeaceae (Water-lily family)

Synonyms: Castalia leibergii Morong; Nymphaea tetragona Georgi ssp. leibergii (Morong) A.E. Porsild

General Description: Aquatic plants from an erect, unbranched rhizome. The thick-textured, glabrous floating leaves are 3-19 cm long and 2-15 cm wide (usually the smaller end of this size range). The leaves are obovate to elliptic in shape, green on the upper, and green to mostly purple on the lower surface. They usually have divergent lobes, with the sinus longer than the midrib, and the impressed veins in a centrally radiate pattern. The floating flowers are 3-7.5 cm in diameter, with uniformly green sepals and 8-15 white petals. Filaments of the 20-40 yellow stamens are widest above the middle and much longer than the anthers. The connective appendage projects less than 0.2 mm beyond the anthers. The pistils have tapered, yellowish-brown appendages at the margin of the stigmatic disk that are 0.6-1.5 x 0.8-1.4 mm long.

Illustration.

Field Identification Tips: Nymphaea leibergii is generally smaller in all regards compared to the other water-lilies found in northern Idaho.

Phenology: Summer months.

Similar Species: In our flora, N. leibergii is most likely to be confused with N. odorata. Several characters separate the two species. The flowers of N. odorata have 20 or more petals and over 50 stamens, while N. leibergii has 8-15 petals and less than 40 stamens. The flowers of N. leibergii typically do not open until early afternoon, compared to earlier in the morning for N. odorata. The two species of yellow water lily found in northern Idaho, Nuphar polysepalum and Nuphar variegatum are readily distinguished by their yellow flowers, however, juvenile plants can appear vegetatively similar to N. leibergii. Venation on the blades of Nuphar follows a pinnate pattern, compared to the more palmate arrangement on N. leibergii. The most similar species to N. leibergii is another small water lily, Nymphaea tetragona. However, it does not occur in Idaho; the closest known population being in western Washington state.

Habitat: Lakes, ponds, and quiet streams. It is most often found in lakes near the mouth of inlet streams, in about 1-2 m of water.

Global Distribution: Eastern British Columbia, across Canada to eastern Quebec, ranging just across the United States border into northern Maine, northern Michigan, northern Minnesota, northwestern Montana, and northern Idaho.

Idaho Distribution: Known only from a historical collection taken near Granite Station, which is an old North Pacific Railway station located south of present day Careywood in southern Bonner County. It may or may not still be present in Idaho.

References:

Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 1997. Flora of North America. Vol. 3, Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford University Press, New York. 590 pp.

Wiersema, J. H. 1996. Nymphaea tetragona and Nymphaea leibergii (Nymphaeaceae): two species of diminutive water-lilies in North America. Brittonia 48(4): 520-531.