Quick Facts Euryale ferox, Conservation status ...

Euryale ferox
Flowering Euryale ferox cultivated in the Botanischer Garten Berlin-Dahlem
Botanical illustration of Euryale ferox from Curtis's Botanical Magazine (1812).
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Order:	Nymphaeales
Family:	Nymphaeaceae
Genus:	Euryale Salisb.
Species:	E. ferox
Binomial name
Euryale ferox Salisb.
Synonyms[2]
Anneslea spinosa Andrews Euryale ferox f. ussuriense Regel Euryale indica Planch.

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Euryale ferox, commonly known as prickly waterlily,^[3] makhana or Gorgon plant, is a species of water lily found in southern and eastern Asia, and the only extant member of the genus Euryale.^{[lower-alpha 1]} The edible seeds, called fox nuts or makhana when dried,^{[lower-alpha 2]} are eaten in Asia.

Euryale ferox is a member of the water lily family Nymphaeaceae.^[2] The separate family Euryalaceae J.Agardh was proposed in 1858, a classification which has ultimately been rejected.^[4] Unlike other water lilies, the pollen grains of Euryale have three nuclei.^[5]

The genus is named after a mythical Greek Gorgon, Euryale.^[6]

The specific epithet ferox means fierce or ferocious.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Euryale ferox is a perennial plant native to eastern Asia and southern Asia, and is found from northeast India^{[lower-alpha 3]} to Korea and Japan, as well as parts of eastern Russia.

Recently, it has also been recorded in Serbia, Europe. It was likely dispersed to Serbia through migrating birds.^[11]

This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021)

It grows in water, producing bright purple flowers. The leaves are large and round and peltate, often more than a meter (3 feet) across, with a leaf stalk attached in the centre of the lower surface. The underside of the leaf is purplish, while the upper surface is green. The leaves have a quilted texture, although the stems, flowers, and leaves which float on the surface are covered in sharp prickles. Other leaves are submerged. In India, Euryale normally grows in ponds and wetlands.

Self pollination can occur in Euryale ferox. Pollen is known to be released prior to the opening of the flower.^[12] The majority of Euryale ferox flowers are cleistogamous, with the additional occurrence of chasmogamous flowers.^[13]

The chromosome count is n = 29. The genome size is 870.42 Mb.^[14]

It is classified on the Red List of endangered plants in Japan and given the designation "vulnerable".^[13][21] It is classified as species of Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^[1] However, a population decline on the global scale has been reported.^[13]