Taxon

Nymphaea thermarum

 
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Nymphaea thermarum - pygmy Rwandan water-lily
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Common name: pygmy Rwandan water-lily
Family: Nymphaeaceae (Water-lily)
Distribution: Rwanda
Habitat: Damp mud created by the overflow of a freshwater hot spring, where the water has cooled to 25˚C.
IUCN Red list: Extinct in the wild
Life form: Aquatic
Comments: The world's smallest water lily. The plant's native habitat was damp mud formed by the overflow of a freshwater hot spring in Mashyuza, Rwanda. It became extinct in the wild about 2008 when local farmers began using the spring for agriculture. The farmers cut off the flow of the spring, which dried up the tiny area—just a few square metres—that was the lily's entire habitat.
Links: IUCN Red List • Kew Science • Wikipedia

Locations

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