FNPS Plant Database

Nymphaea elegans

blue water-lily

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

blue water-lily

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Nymphaea elegans

Family:

Nymphaeaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

aquatic

Size:

ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,blue

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Considerations:

Availability:

Specialty Provider

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

1 ---to--- Aquatic

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,9B,10A

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators

Everything from flies, to beetles, and various sorts of bees have been recorded on water lilies.  The primary pollinator may be beetles. (In Defense of Plants blog)

Native Habitats:

Ponds, ditches, cypress swamps.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Not typically seen for sale, but a good addition to the aquatic garden.

Citations:

Wiersema, J. (1988). Reproductive Biology of Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 75(3), 795-804. doi:10.2307/2399367
https://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu/search-specimens.php (shows nothing for Nassau county even though atlas says they are the source)

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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