BACKGROUND AND AIMS Trithuria, the sole genus in the family Hydatellaceae, is an important group for understanding early angiosperm evolution because of its sister relationship to the ancient lineage, Nymphaeales (water lilies). Although also aquatic, Trithuria differs from water lilies in that all species are extremely small, and most have an annual life form and grow in seasonal wetlands. Ver...

Many would agree that Michelangelo’s David or Monet’s Water Lilies is a masterpiece of beauty, compelling casual admirers and expert critics alike to gaze in awe. This implicitly Western conception of beauty has evolved historically and culturally along the path of Classical Platonism (i.e., ideal forms), Aristotelian metaphysics (i.e., imitation), and turn-of-the-century emphases on nature and...