User:Rgill73/Nymphaea tetragona

Authority
The cited authority, Georgi, is in reference to the work of a German botanist named Johann Gottlieb Georgi who is credited for first describing the species at the end of the eighteenth century from his collections in Eastern Siberia. The Komarov Botanical Institute has a herbarium specimen with the description "Nymphaea tetragona sp. nova" that is thought to be collected in 1772 from the Angara River and hand labelled by Georgi himself.

Distribution
Its distribution encompasses Midwestern Nepal, China, India, Japan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, Vietnam, North America, and Europe.

Reproduction
N. tetragona reproduces sexually by seeds. The mature fruits on the plant decay to reveal the seed and remain buoyant for approximately a day which is important for dispersal because the habitat of N. tetragona tends to encompass calm waters like ponds, swamps, lakes, or streams. Dispersal over longer distances in water is facilitated through fish which like to feed on the seeds of N. tetragona , overland via waterbirds, or dispersed by humans. The establishment of the seed in the appropriate ecological conditions for N. tetragona to thrive and reproduce is considered to be more important than dispersal ability which appears to be generally sufficient.

Conservation Status
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, N. tetragona was listed as Least Concern in 2010. It has the broadest global distribution of any species in this genus so the conservation status of the species can vary by region. It is considered an endangered species in China and India. In China, the depletion of wetlands has caused N. tetragona populations to decrease. Across the N. tetragona species, populations are most at risk from the destruction of their habitat and overexploitation. In British Columbia, Canada, N. tetragona is listed as a blue-listed taxon meaning it is at risk and of Special Concern. It is also considered threatened in some states of the United States including Maine.

Cultural significance
N. tetragona is an important ornamental plant. The buds of the leaf and the seeds can also be used as food. In Buddhism, it is used as an offering flower. It has a rich history of use in ethnomedicine. Tribal practitioners of herbal medicine would use the rhizomes of N. tetragona to treat dysentery and diarrhea. Furthermore, it was used to treat ailments like diarrhea with dysentery, enteritis, fever, painful urine discharge, and urinary passage infections in folk medicine. On the other hand, herbal medicine practitioners used it to treat bronchial congestion and kidney pain.

Pharmacological properties
N. tetragona is the first species in the Nymphaeaceae family to have Geraniin isolated and it showed evidence of inhibiting disease causing bacteria in fish. A 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has shown to be a safe method that works well in inhibiting bacterial virulence factors via intercellular communication. As a result, the inhibitory properties of this extract could be effective in antimicrobial products to fight against bacterial resistance and infections. Furthermore, a specific application for a 50% methanol extract of N. tetragona has been proposed as a part of an antimicrobial treatment in combination with antibiotics for fighting against the bacterial resistance of a Salmonella infection in humans and animals alike.