Nymphaea thermarum is the smallest waterlily in the world
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Nymphaea thermarum is the smallest waterlily in the world, and the only Nymphaea to grow in damp mud rather than water - This ‘thermal’ waterlily, which grew around freshwater hot springs, was discovered in 1987 by German botanist Professor Eberhard Fischer of Koblenz-Landau University. It is known from just one location in Mashyuza, in southwest Rwanda. However, it disappeared from there about two years ago due to over-exploitation of the hot spring that fed this fragile habitat. Water was prevented from reaching the surface, resulting in the desiccation of the few square metres where this species grew, and no plant is known to have survived in the wild.
Copyright © RBG KEW
Media ID 9178167
Date: 13th April 2010
Copyright Status: Copyrighted Work
Owner URL: www.kew.org
Position: Photographer
Author: Paul Little
Filename: 005265PL100413094641.jpg
Image Size: 4256 x 2832 Pixels
Filesize is 1.65MB
Associated Categories: Flowers
Keywords: african, biological, biology, botanica, botanical, botany, color, colour, flora, flower, flowering plant, flowers, horticultural, horticulture, kew living collection, lily pond, nature, nymphaea, nymphaea thermarum, nymphaeaceae, plant, plant life, plants, pond, pond life, propagation, rare plant, royal botanic gardens kew, smallest, species, thermal lily, tropical nursery, vascular plant, vegetation, water lily, waterlily