Nymphaea

Scientific name

Nymphaea L.

Common names

waterlily

Family

Nymphaeaceae

Similar genera

Barclaya, Nelumbo, Nuphar, Nymphoides

Native distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Species cultivated

Almost all species in the genus are cultivated, as well as numerous varieties and artificial hybrids.

Nymphaea caerulea

N. gigantea Hook.

N. glandulifera Rodschied

N. immutabilis

N. lotus L.

N. mexicana Zucc.

N. micrantha Guill. & Perr.

N. rudgeana G. Mey.

N. violacea Lehm.

Adventive distribution

Various species have been introduced into numerous regions around the world. Nymphaea lotus is introduced into warmer parts of America and Europe, while N. mexicana is introduced in many countries. Nymphaea caerulea is common in eastern Australia.

Weed status

Nymphaea mexicana and N. odorata are considered weedy in some countries due to large seasonal populations choking waterways.

Habit

attached rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
plant with submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
, floating, and occasionally emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
leaves

Brief description

Perennial. Stem a slender or stout rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
, cormcorm:
(n) a shortened, subterranean bulb-like stem or part of the stem, often bearing scale-like leaves
, or tubertuber:
(n) un underground storage organ formed from swelling of a stem
, usually bearing old leaf scars. Leaves in a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette arising from buried rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
, submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
, floating, or emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
smooth, greatly elongate; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
ovate, deeply sagittatesagittate:
(adj) shaped like an arrowhead
to orbicularorbicular:
(adj) circular in outline
with deep sinussinus:
(n) the indentation or space between two lobes or divisions
, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or dentatedentate:
(adj) (of a leaf margin) (1) toothed; (2) bearing shallow teeth projecting outward from midrib
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a large, solitary flower on a long pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
, borne above water or floating on surface. Sepals 4 or 5, green; petals numerous, in series, variously colored; stamens numerous. Dispersal by seed or sometimes by daughter plants off rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
.

Natural habitat

all permanent and temporary waters are suitable to waterlily growth

Additional comments

A highly distinctive genus with 44 species worldwide. Countless artificial hybrids and varieties are cultivated primarily for the pond plant industry, less so for the aquarium industry. Based on molecular data Ondinea was recently found to be simply an unusual species in the Nymphaea subgenus Anecphya and has been synonymized with that genus.