The Water Lily Family

Nymphaeceae is one of the oldest families of flowering plants. Much research has been done to confirm this, as early postulation was based entirely on the structure of the flowers and needed to be confirmed by genetics. Members of Nymphaea and Nuphar are almost entirely beetle pollinated, and therefore have more complex and specialized floral structures. Because many of these plants have showy flowers, some have been introduced for their beauty, leading to ecological problems.