Nymphaea guineensis
species of water lily

Nymphaea guineensis is a species of waterlily native to the region spanning from tropical West Africa to Chad.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
The leaves are 22 cm long, and 19 cm wide. The leaves have an entire margin. The abaxial leaf surface displays reddish colouration.
Generative characteristics
The flowers are 13 cm wide. The petals are purple and pointed. The globose, smooth fruit bears numerous subglobose, arillate seeds.
Taxonomy
Publication
It was first described by Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher and Peter Thonning in 1827.
Type specimen
The type specimen was collected by Thonning in Ghana. Insects have damaged the preserved specimen.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Nymphaea guineensis” is species of water lily. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Nymphaea, guineensis and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of water lily” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 27, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q50855258. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1827.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Nymphaea guineensis”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nymphaea guineensis primary sources, Nymphaea guineensis archive and Nymphaea research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Nymphaea guineensis”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Nymphaea guineensis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.