Nymphoides aquatica

Family:MENYANTHACEAE
Species:Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
Common Name:Big Floating Heart; Banana Floating Heart
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:NYAQ
Plant Notes:Banana Floating Heart is a native perennial in the Buck-Bean family (Menyanthaceae). It is native to the southern third of Alabama. Banana Floating Heart is a floating leaf aquatic plant found in ponds and slow moving streams. It resembles a small Water Lily (Nymphaea). It is a perennial from a rhizome buried in the mud at the pond bottom. Leaves are produced singularly at the terminus of a floating stem. The leaves are entire, ovate to cordate in outline, and split to the petiole. The upper surface of the leaf is green and the lower surface is red-purple. Both the lower surface of the leaf and the stems are rough and pebbly in texture. The flowers are produced in fascicles below the floating leaf. Flowers are held above the water’s surface during anthesis (the period of time when a flower is fully open and functional). Each flower has five white petals and a yellow “eye”. A clump of thick, blunt, elongated tubers develops at the site of the attachment of the flowers. The fruit is a capsule. Banana Floating Heart is similar to, and occurs in the same area as Little Floating Heart (Nymphoides cordata (Elliott) Fernald). Little Floating Heart has smaller leaves that are mottled with purple above. The tubers of Little Floating Heart are also more slender and pointed than those of Banana Floating Heart. Banana Floating Heart is a common pool and aquarium plant. It is widely available from nurseries specializing in aquatic plants. Plants can also be grown from the clusters of tubers. The tubers should not be planted more than 1/3 of their length in the soil or gravel. Banana Floating Heart does best in shallow water (1-3 feet) with plenty of direct sunlight.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, OBL (NWI)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyMENYANTHACEAE - Buck-Bean family
Genus Nymphoides
Species Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze - Big Floating Heart; Banana Floating Heart

Citation

Citation Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 429. 1891.
Basionym: Villarsia aquatica J.F. Gmel. 1791.
Type: USA: SOUTH CAROLINA: Williamsburg Co.: 2 mi. NE of Lane, 10 Jul 1939, Godfrey & Tryon 405 (neotype: GH; isoneotypes: CA, CAS, F, NY, US). Neotypified by D.B. Ward, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1094. 2007.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Limnanthemum aquaticum Limnanthemum aquaticum (J. F. Gmelin) Britton, Trans. New York Acad. Sci. 9: 12. 1889.Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Limnanthemum lacunosum Limnanthemum lacunosum Grisebach, Gen. Sp. Gent. 347. 1838, nom. illegit.Villarsia lacunosa Ventenat 1803, nom. illegit.; Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Limnanthemum trachyspermum Limnanthemum trachyspermum A. Gray, Manual, ed. 5. 390. 1867, nom. illegit.Menyanthes trachysperma Michaux 1803, nom. illegit.; Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Menyanthes trachysperma Menyanthes trachysperma Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 126. 1803, nom. illegit.Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Nymphoides lacunosa Nymphoides lacunosa Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 429. 1891, nom. illegit.Villarsia lacunosa Ventenat 1803, nom. illegit.; Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Trachysperma aquaticum Trachysperma aquaticum (J. F. Gmelin) House, New York State Mus. Bull. 233/234: 65. 1922.Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Trachysperma lacunosum Trachysperma lacunosum House, New York State Mus. Bull. 233/234: 66. 1922.Villarsia lacunosa Ventenat 1803, nom. illegit.; Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Villarsia aquatica Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 447. 1791. SOUTH CAROLINA: Williamsburg Co.: 2 mi. NE of Lane, 10 Jul 1939, Godfrey & Tryon 405 (neotype: GH; isoneotypes: CA, CAS, F, NY, US). Neotypified by D. B. Ward, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1094. 2007.
Villarsia lacunosa Villarsia lacunosa Ventenat, Choix Pl. pl. 9. 1803, nom. illegit.Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 
Villarsia trachysperma Villarsia trachysperma Elliott, Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 230. 1817, nom. illegit.Menyanthes trachysperma Michaux 1803, nom. illegit.; Villarsia aquatica J. F. Gmelin 1791. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Covington, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1977 - 1994

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
AUA_ACC_70587 Monroe 11 Jun 2008 Spaulding, Daniel D.
12959
AUA
Nymphoides Aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008595 Mobile 24 Jun 1969 LeLong, Michel G.
5134
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
TROY000042984 Covington 09 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26698
TROY
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
UWAL0043414 Baldwin 17 Apr 2010 Larsen, Harry S.
1752
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J. F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UWAL0002420 Monroe 11 Jun 2008 Spaulding, Daniel D.
12959
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Geml.) Kuntze
AUA_ACC_61864 Baldwin 1 May 1965 Koelling, Alfred C.
2240
AUA
Nymphoides Aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UNA00023928 Washington 02 Jun 1978 Haynes, Robert R.
6562
UNA
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
SAMF0007387 Escambia 05 Apr 2021 Davenport, L.J.
6817
SAMF
Nymphoides aquatica (J. F. Gmelin) Kuntze
UWAL0043415 Baldwin 29 May 2003 West, Chan
1214
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J. F. Gmel.) Kuntze
AUA_ACC_13065 Baldwin 1 May 1965 Dickens, Ray
AUA
Nymphoides Aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
ALNHS00002165 Covington 19 Jun 2013 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1068
ALNHS
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008597 Mobile 23 Jul 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12179
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
UWAL0030678 Covington 09 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26698
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (JF Gmelin) Kuntze
ALNHS00002611 Escambia 10 Jul 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1391
ALNHS
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UWAL0047432 Monroe 16 Jun 2018 Keener, Brian R.
10727
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008591 Mobile 23 Jul 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12179
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
JSU133388 Covington 22 Jul 1973 French, Tom W.
231
JSU
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
ALNHS00004530 Baldwin 15 Jun 2016 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#2899
ALNHS
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UNA00039027 Baldwin 07 Aug 1979 Haynes, Robert R.
7521
UNA
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008593 Mobile 23 Jul 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12179
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
USAM000008596 Baldwin 14 Aug 1976 LeLong, Michel G.
9380
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
UWAL0033722 Baldwin 03 Jun 2016 Keener, Brian R.
9659
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
TROY000051337 Baldwin 03 Jun 2016 Keener, Brian R.
9659
TROY
Nymphoides aquatica (J. F. Gmelin) Kuntze
UNA00039023 Monroe 30 Oct 1977 Wiersema, John H.
345
UNA
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
ALNHS00002782 Monroe 27 Aug 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1475
ALNHS
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UWAL0053017 Escambia 05 Apr 2021 Davenport, L.J.
6817
UWAL
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
ALNHS00002359 Covington 19 Jun 2013 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1065
ALNHS
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008594 Mobile 23 Jul 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12179
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
AUA_ACC_42483 Covington 7 Jul 1974 Hudgins, Charles H.
124
AUA
Nymphoides Aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UNA00039028 Covington 13 Jul 1978 Davenport, Lawrence J.
571
UNA
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
UNA00026486 Covington 15 Oct 1994 Birk, Michelle
674
UNA
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmel.) Kuntze
USAM000008592 Mobile 23 Jul 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12179
USAM
Nymphoides aquatica (J.F. Gmelin) Kuntze
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