Euryale (plant)

Euryale is a genus of flowering plants of the family Nymphaeaceae.

Vegetative characteristics
Euryale is an annual or perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic herb with erect, unbranched rhizomes. The adaxial leaf surface is green, and features prickles at the veins. The abaxial leaf surface is violet and displays prominent, prickly venation.

Generative characteristics
The pedunculate, 5 cm wide flowers have prickly peduncles and sepals. The stigma has 8-9 stigmatic rays. The prickly fruit bears black, smooth, arillate, globose, 6-10 mm wide seeds.

Publication
It was published by Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1805.

Species
It has one extant species: And several fossil species:
 * Euryale ferox Salisb.
 * †Euryale yunnanensis Y. Huang & Z. Zhou
 * †Euryale nodulosa C. & E. M. Reid
 * †Euryale europaea C. A. Weber
 * †Euryale lissa Reid
 * †Euryale akashiensis Miki
 * †Euryale sukaczevii Dorof.
 * †Euryale tenuicostata Dorof.
 * †Euryale limburgensis C. & E. In. Reid.

Cytology
The chromosome count of Euryale ferox is 2n = 58.

Habitat
It occurs in ponds, lakes, rice fields, and marshes.

Distribution
Euryale is found in the area that stretches from Northern India to the Russian Far East and extends into temperate East Asia. Recently, it has also been recorded in Serbia, Europe. It was likely dispersed to Serbia through migrating birds.

Conservation
The IUCN conservation status of Euryale ferox is least concern (LC).

Fossil record
Euryale seeds and prickles are well preserved in the fossil record. Today, Euryale only occurs in the region spanning from Northern India to the Russian Far East, and extends to temperate East Asia. But in the Pliocene period it also occurred in central Europe.