An assessment of interspecific hybridization between Central-European taxa from the genus Nymphaea: insights from flow cytometry and multivariate morphometrics

Although the genus Nymphaea (waterlily) includes only two native species (N. alba and N. candida) in Central Europe, it poses a great challenge to taxonomy and biosystematics. The determination of both species is hampered by their phenotypic similarities, and species boundaries can be further blurred by interspecific hybridization. In addition, ornamental cultivars of different parentage often escape from cultivation and make the situation even more complex. To get insight into the caryological and phenotypic variability of czech waterlilies, the DNA flow cytometry and both distance-based and geometric morphometrics were used. Collections showed two different groups of fluorescence intensities, corresponding to N. alba and N. candida, respectively. In addition, intermediate values of nuclear DNA amount were found in some plants from South Bohemia, indicating their hybrid origin. Surprisingly, ornamental cultivars possessed the smallest genome sizes. The amount of nuclear DNA therefore seems to be a promising species-specific marker that enables not only native species but also cultivars to be distinguished. Cytometrically-proven individuals have been subjected to multivariate morphometrics, and high differenciation was discovered especially between native species. More complicated seems the distinction..