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• Aquatic plants
• Water plants with leaves and stems
• Nymphoides peltata

Nymphoides peltata — yellow floating-heart

Facts

Yellow floating-heart is a Eurasian species that has become invasive in parts of North America, including New England. It is a popular water garden plant, but its use is banned in states where it occurs in the wild. It grows in still or slow-moving water of lakes and rivers.

Habitat

Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams)

Characteristics

• Clonal plantlets

  Turion length

  0 mm

• Flowers

  Anther color

  there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers

  Anther length

  2–6 mm

  Carpels fused

  the carpels are fused to one another

  Flower lower lip length

  0 mm

  Flower number

  2–5

  Flower position

  the flowers are above the surface of the water

  Flower symmetry

  there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)

  Inflorescence type

  the inflorescence is an umbel (with an axis so short it appears the flowers all originate from the same point)

  Length of flower stalk

  30–100 mm

  Nectar spur

  the flower has no nectar spurs

  Number of carpels

  2

  Ovary position

  • the sepals and/or petals are attached above the ovary
  • the sepals and/or petals are attached below the ovary

  Palate on corolla

  no

  Petal and sepal arrangement

  the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures

  Petal appearance

  the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)

  Petal color

  yellow

  Petal fringed edges

  the petals are fringed

  Petal fusion

  the perianth parts are fused to form a tube, cup, or bell shape

  Petal hairs on inner/upper surface

  there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface

  Petal length

  20–25 mm

  Petal number

  5

  Petal or sepal number

  there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower

  Pistil number

  1

  Sepal appearance

  the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture

  Sepal length

  10–13 mm

  Sepal number

  5

  Sepals fused only to sepals

  the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases

  Spur length

  0 mm

  Stamen length

  3–10 mm

  Stamen number

  5

  Stamen position relative to petals

  the stamens are lined up with the sepals

  Stamens fused

  the stamens are not fused to one another

  Stamens fused to petals

  the stamens are fused near the bases of the petals or tepals

  Style length

  1–10 mm

  Style number

  1

• Fruits or seeds

  Fruit length

  12–25 mm

  Fruit type (general)

  the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe

  Fruit type (specific)

  the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)

  Fruit width

  8–11 mm

• Glands or sap

  Oil glands on nodes

  none of the nodes have oil glands

  Sap

  the sap is clear and watery

• Growth form

  Lifespan

  the plant lives more than two years

  Root septa

  the roots do not have transverse septa

  Roots floating in water

  there are no clusters of roots floating in the water

  Turions

  there are no turions on the plant

  Underground organs

  the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

• Leaves

  Bract position (Sparganium)

  NA

  Bract relative length

  At least 3854 mm

  Bracts

  neither the flowers nor their pedicels have bracts

  Floating leaf basal lobes

  yes

  Floating leaf blade width

  50–150 mm

  Floating leaf length

  50–150 mm

  Floating leaf shape

  • the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped with backward-facing rounded lobes)
  • the leaf blade is orbicular (roughly circular, as wide as long)
  • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
  • the leaf blade is reniform (kidney-shaped; wider than long, with a basal sinus)

  Floating leaf tip

  the tip of the floating leaf blade is rounded, with no point

  Floral bract form

  NA

  Floral bract length

  0 mm

  Leaf arrangement

  • alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
  • opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem

  Leaf blade length

  50–150 mm

  Leaf blade veins

  the lateral veins radiate from the base and continue to spread away from the centerline of the leaf, or branch off the central vein at intervals

  Leaf blade width

  50–150 mm

  Leaf position

  some of the leaves are floating at the surface of the water

  Leaf special features

  none of the mentioned special features are present

  Leaf-like branch segments

  0

  Leaf-like branch shape

  the leaf-like branches are round

  Specific leaf type

  the leaf is not divided, rather the blade is made up of one segment

  Staminate bract edge (Myriophyllum)

  NA

  Stipule appearance

  NA

  Stipule fused to leaf

  NA

  Stipules

  there are no stipules on the plant

  Stipules fused around stem

  NA

  Trap-bladder length

  0 mm

  Underwater leaf blade edges

  the underwater leaf has smooth edges, without teeth

  Underwater leaf blade shape

  • the underwater leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped with backward-facing rounded lobes)
  • the underwater leaf blade is orbicular (roughly circular, as wide as long)
  • the underwater leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
  • the underwater leaf blade is reniform (kidney-shaped; wider than long)

  Underwater leaf stalk

  yes

  Underwater leaf stalk length

  50–100 mm

  Underwater leaf tip shape

  the tip of the underwater leaf is rounded, with no point

• Place

  Habitat

  aquatic

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • in lakes or ponds
  • in rivers or streams

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Flowering stem growth form

  the flowering stem is upright

Wetland status

Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae