Nymphaea alba L., 1753

Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part N), Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum, pp. 690-695 : 695

Nymphaea alba Linnaeus , Species Plantarum 1: 510. 1753 , typ. cons.

"Habitat in Europae & America aquis dulcibus." RCN: 3856.

Lectotype (Mitra in Nayar & al. in Fasc. Fl. India 20: 16. 1990): Herb. Linn. No. 673.4 ( LINN) .

Generitype of Nymphaea Linnaeus , nom. cons.

Current name: Nymphaea alba L. ( Nymphaeaceae ).

Note: Mitra’s choice of the material in LINN as type is unfortunate because detailed morphological and palynological studies show that it belongs not to N. alba but to N. Candida C. Presl & J. Presl (which Mitra recognised as a species distinct from N. alba ). The two taxa are usually treated as distinct, though often at subspecific rank. Although Art. 57.1 provides some temporary protection for the name, a conservation proposal appears to be necessary.