Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2026 | 18(2): 28413–28418
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10056.18.2.28413-28418
#10056 | Received 23 July 2025 | Final received 30 October 2025 | Finally
accepted 03 February 2026
Extended distribution of Nymphoides peltata
(S.G.Gmel.) Kuntze (Menyanthaceae) in
Manipur, India
Aahen Chanu
Waikhom 1
& Bimolkumar Singh Sadokpam
2
1,2 Department of Life Sciences
(Botany), School of Life Sciences, Manipur University, Canchipur,
Manipur 795003, India.
1 aahenchanu@manipuruniv.ac.in
(corresponding author), 2 bimolkrsadokpam1@gmail.com
Editor: Afroz
Alam, Banasthali Vidyapith,
Rajasthan, India. Date of publication: 26 February 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Waikhom, A.C. & B.S. Sadokpam
(2026).
Extended distribution of Nymphoides peltata (S.G.Gmel.)
Kuntze (Menyanthaceae) in
Manipur, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(2): 28413–28418. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10056.18.2.28413-28418
Copyright: © Waikhom & Sadokpam
2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Dr. Aahen Chanu Waikhom is as guest faculty and working in the field of plant ecology and carbon sequestration in the Department of Life Sciences (Botany), Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal. Bimolkumar Singh Sadokpam is a research scholar working in the field of plant systematics and ethnobotany in the Department of Life Sciences (Botany), Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal.
Author contributions: BSS—carried out field survey, manuscript drafting; ACW—carried out field survey, editing, conceptualization, revision and finalization of the manuscript.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful and express heartfelt gratitude to the head, Department of Life Sciences (Botany), School of Life Sciences, Manipur University, Canchipur for providing the necessary facilities for carrying out the present study. Lastly, we also would like to thank the villagers of Phayeng for their coordination rendering their help and support during the field survey.
Abstract: The present paper highlights the
extended distribution of aquatic herb Nymphoides
peltata (S.G.Gmel.)
Kuntze and presents as a new addition to the flora of
Manipur. This study also provides phenology, conservation status, and
distribution of the recorded species.
Keywords: Aquatic herb, dimorphic leaves,
invasive, new addition, perennial, Phayeng,
phenology, rhizomatous herb.
INTRODUCTION
Nymphoides Ség., is a genus of truly freshwater aquatic dicot growing
as a monospecific stand in the still water of ponds, lakes, and rivers,
eutrophic, alkaline water (Ornduff 1966; van der
Velde et al. 1979; Burks 2002; Mehrvarz & Nodehi 2016). It produces aerial flowers on stems and also
has distinctive floating leaves. It is
an aquatic genus comprising of 30–35 species (Cook et al. 1974), 40 species (Ho
et al. 1995), and 50 species have been recorded so far across the globe (Tippery et al. 2008). Under the genus Nymphoides,
13 species and eight species been recorded from eastern Asia (Tippery et al. 2021), and India (Sivarajan
& Joseph 1993), respectively. Till date, a total of 10 species have been
reported so far from India: Nymphoides peltata (S.G.Gmel.)
Kuntze, N. aurantica
(Dalzell) (Kuntze), N. parviflora
(Wall. ex G.Don) Tippery, N. sivarajanii K.T.Joseph, N. indica (L.)
Kuntze, N. macrosperma
K.V.Nair, N. krishnakesara
K.T.Joseph & Sivar., N.
hydrophyllum (Lour.) Kuntze, N. balakrishnanii P.Biju, Josekutty,
Haneef & Augustine, N. palyi P.Biju, Josekutty, Haneef &
Augustine (Sivarajan & Joseph 1993; Biju et al.
2016a,b; Tippery et al. 2021).
Most Nymphoides
species occur in the tropical parts of the world (Wood 1983), but unlike other
species, N. peltata is the only species
occurring in moderately cold temperate areas (Meusal
et al. 1978) and its distribution is restricted to temperate parts of Europe,
Asia, and America. Nymphoides peltata is distributed in Europe (except the North),
temperate regions of Asia, and also become naturalized in North America (Tutin 1972; Stuckey 1973; Smits et al. 1992). Nymphoides peltata
is native to Eurasia but an invasive plant in the USA (Tippery
et al. 2023). In India, N. peltata has
been recorded from western Himalaya and Kashmir so far and it is well known for
its distribution from India (Sivarajan & Joseph
1993). From Manipur, a total of two species under the genus Nymphoides
have been reported, viz., N. hydrophyllum
(Lour.) Kuntze and N.
indica (L.) Kuntze (Agrawala et al. 2023) and the presently examined Nymphoides peltata
is in addition to the flora of Manipur as the third species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Description of study site
Manipur is a part of the eastern Himalaya, lies in
between 23.830–25.680 0N and 93.030–94.780 0E. Manipur
separates India from Myanmar, which is a part of the northeastern corner of
India. The state has a total geographical area of 22,327 km2.
Manipur is a hilly state having two major regions as central valley and hilly
region covering an area of about 10% and 90% of the total area, respectively.
Phayeng, the study site is located at 24.841 0N
& 93.808 0E, Imphal West District,
Manipur (Figure 1). This place is 14 km from Imphal,
the capital of Manipur, at an altitude ranging 790–870 m. People of Phayeng were the aboriginal inhabitants of Manipur before
the arrival of Meiteis and representing one of the
indigenous people of Manipur (Parratt 1980). Forest of Phayeng
is the largest sacred grove of Manipur, rich in biodiversity and a carbon
neutral village, recognized as India’s first carbon-positive settlement.
A brief field trip was carried out in Heiyu Park of Phayeng Village
(Figure 1) of Manipur during 2024–2025. Herbarium specimens were prepared and
mounted on a standard herbarium sheet following the standard procedure of Jain
& Rao (1976). The prepared voucher specimens were deposited in Manipur
University Museum of Plants (MUMP) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Eastern
Regional Centre (Assam). Identification of the specimen was done by consulting
relevant existing literature and databases (Nasir & Ali 1970–1995; Ho et
al. 1995; POWO 2025; WFO 2025). Phenology, distribution along with conservation
status were also provided briefly. Photographs of habits and dissected parts
were captured from live specimens using SMZ160 Stereo Zoom Microscope and Sony
Cyber-Shot DSC–HX10V.
RESULTS
Taxonomic Treatment
Nymphoides peltata (S.G.Gmel.)
Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2:
429. 1891; Ohwi, Fl. Jap. 742. 1965; Tutin in Tutin et al., Fl. Europ. 3: 68. 1972; Sivarajan
& Joseph, Aquatic Bot. 45: 149. 1993; Ho & Ornduff,
Fl. China 16: 141. 1995. (Menyanthaceae).
Description: Perennial aquatic rhizomatous herb; stem long, cylindric,
submerged, sometimes rooting from nodes; leaves dimorphic, floating, vegetative
leaves alternate, ovate–orbicular, apex rounded, base deeply cordate, margin
sinuate to entire, adaxially green, abaxially brownish red and glandular, 3–14
× 2–12 cm; petiole 30–280 cm; fertile leaves similar to vegetative leaves but
smaller and subopposite or opposite, sheathing at base; petiole 5–10 cm;
flowers clustered at node, 2–7 flowers in umbellate cluster, arising from axil,
bisexual, distylous, pedicel 6.8–7 cm; sepals deeply
4–5 partite, elliptic–lanceolate, apex obtuse, abaxially purple punctate,
adaxially greenish, glabrous, 1.1–1.2 × 0.25–0.3 cm; petals as many as sepals,
yellow, 2.7–2.8 × 1.4–1.5 cm, tube 0.6–0.7 cm long, whitish with tuft of hair
at the middle, lobes 2.1 cm long, ovate, margins with broadly membranous and fimbriately toothed wings; stamens as many as corolla
lobes, filaments 0.6–0.7 cm, inserted at the intersection of the lobes, anther
bilobed, sagittate, basifixed, 0.4 cm long; pistil bottle–shaped, 1.6 cm long,
style 0.9–1.0 cm, stigma bifid, folded irregularly at margins, ovary 0.4 × 0.3
cm, glandular, glands yellow, as many as petals, parietal placentation; capsule
and seed not known.
Flowering & Fruiting: May–October
Distribution: Algeria, China, Ghana, India (Western Himalaya,
Kashmir, now in Manipur), Iran, Japan, Mongolia.
Specimen examined: India: Manipur, Imphal West
District, Phayeng Village, Aahen
Chanu Waikhom, 1.v.2025,
24.843 0N & 93.811 0E, altitude ca. 827 m, coll. No.
001.
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Lansdown 2014), Critically Endangered
(de Bélair 2010).
DISCUSSION
Nymphoides peltata possesses
invasive nature; very difficult to control for having the potential to grow a
new plant from rhizomes, stolons, detached leaves or
seeds (Cook 1990). In 12 weeks, a single plant of N. peltata
can produce over 100 new plants (Zhonghua et al.
2007). It has been declared as an
invasive species in Sweden (NOBANIS 2005) and noxious weed in New Zealand and
parts of North America (NWCB 2007). It is also known as yellow floating heart
and fringed water lily which is a perennial hydrophyte of the Menyanthaceae family (Cheek 2018). It is also cultivated as
an ornamental plant in garden pools and aquaria (Allgayer
& Teton 1987; Chester et al. 1996). Nymphoides
peltata has the characteristic of a pioneer
plant community which can colonise large areas
through vegetative growth in a season (Brock et al. 1983). Bioactive compounds
like 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid (TCQA) isolated from the roots of N.
peltata exhibit antioxidant and anti-wrinkling
effects (Kim et al. 2023a). In India, the plant is used as a diuretic,
anthelmintic, and antipyretic agent (Zhigzhitzhapova
et al. 2021). Coumarin glycoside and iridoid glycosides derivatives isolated
from the methanolic root extract of N. peltata
shows the effect of wound healing (Kim et al. 2024).
CONCLUSION
Nymphoides peltata is native to some regions and has been introduced to
other regions either accidentally or intentionally. It has been introduced to
some part of the world like Sweden as an ornamental plant because of its
beautiful yellow flower, even though it is native to regions like China and
Japan to western Asia and central Europe (Weldon 2024). It is an invasive plant
in the USA which is recognised as a noxious weed (Tippery et al. 2023). It can also form the dense stand like
a mat, thus decreasing the water quality and reducing dissolved oxygen, thereby
affecting the other associated species as well as in navigation and fishing
(NatureServe 2008). Nymphoides peltata grows primarily in ponds, lakes producing both
vegetative and reproductive propagules extensively in the easiest way.
Introduction of this species in the present study site is not well known to the
local people. Nymphoides peltata
is invasive, posing serious threats to surrounding environments. This
species produces profuse leaves covering almost the entire water surface,
blocking sunlight, which creates a risk to other submerged aquatic plants and
animals. Once introduced and naturalised in a
particular habitat, the eradication of this plant is not an easy task.
Community-based measures should be taken up so as not to disperse propagules to
other habitats which might impose threats to other species.
Phytochemicals of N. peltata
have been reported to be used as an ayurvedic medicine and in traditional
Chinese medicine as a diuretic, antipyretic, or chloretic
and to treat ulcers, snakebites, and edema. Moreover, it also has anti–inflammatory,
anti–tumor, and anti–wrinkle properties (Kim et al. 2023b). Even though it has
the ability to be invasive, it still has good phytochemical properties which
can cure many diseases, so it can provide significant economic benefit not only
for selling as an ornamental plant. People should be more practical in managing
this plant in aquatic water bodies. Thus, we should be more aware of this
species as a noxious weed or as a plant which have medicinal properties. We
should explore more ethnobotanical aspects of N. peltata
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