This gorgeous aquatic plant has a gripping ethnic account and continues to delight us .
It ’s easy to be trance by the ethereal floating stunner ofwater lilies , as well as their rich story — here are some facts about the aquatic plants that may storm you .
Water Lily Origins
The genus name , Nymphaea , comes from the Greek speech for “ goddess of springs ” or “ water nymph . “Around the humankind , for 1000 of year , the water system lily has been regarded as a sacred symbol . In ancient Greece and Rome , for example , people tender water supply lilies to the gods as a symbolization of beauty and holiness . When elite were buried in ancient Egypt , they sometimes put on a necklace of water lily bloom .
These sidereal day , water lily are prized for their fragrance , which is used in perfumes , and researcher are studying their water - repellent foliage surfaces to develop intersection that can hold out water system and dirt .
Water lilies blossom in a range of colors — any sentence from late spring through nightfall in most regions of the country . While they may be most visible on the airfoil of still freshwater , they are rooted in the mud below , where they overwinter and regrow the undermentioned year . register on to learn more about these fascinating plants .
Credit:BHG / Mira Norian
BHG / Mira Norian
1. There Are Many Water Lily Colors
When you suppose a water lily , you credibly imagine of the Hellenic white rosiness burst from a mystifying fleeceable lily digs . But water lilies actually grow in a rainbow of colors , including pinkish , red-faced , orangish , yellow , purple , and downcast . Tropical varieties take on jewel tones ( over-embellished , orangish , bright blue , and yellow ) , whereas hardier variety lean toward a pastel pallet . Sometimes the blossoms on hardy salmagundi change shades as they age . Even theleaf colors vary from recondite green to rich burgundy .
2. Water Lilies Help Their Environment
Although they ’re primarily known for their stunning appearance , non - invasive varieties of water lilies are important players in the aquatic ecosystem . They uprise in shallow and still freshwater ( think pond , lakes , and the edge of slow - go stream ) , where they shelter Pisces from predatory birds and the passion of the Lord’s Day . Also — because they pillow on the water ’s surface — the flowers and pad shade the water below . This lowers the water temperature and , in twist , forestall algae ( which thrive in heating ) from growing in overabundance .
3. The Water Lily Is July’s Birth Flower
Attention July natal day : weewee lily is your peak ( along with larkspur . ) Water lilies flower from May through September , so it ’s no marvel these hopeful flower are tie in to July . It ’s the center of their bloom season .
weewee lilies bloom year - troll in rime - free regions — but you still have to be lucky to catch a bloom . Each flower lasts only about four days before sinking and decomposing under the water . The weewee lily ’s dish is short - lived , but that makes it even more limited .
4. The Water Lily Has Numerous Varieties
Whether it ’s the shape , size of it , people of colour , fragrance , or blossom design , each variety of these knockout is unique . About 60 species of piddle lily inhabit ponds , lakes , and stream all over the world .
The largest form is fittingly called the giant water lily ( also known as the Amazon water lily or the royal water lily ) . This massive , glorious blossom can grow to a diameter of 3 to 6 fundament and can typically suffer the free weight of a little grownup .
5. The Water Lily Is an Important Spiritual Symbol
water system lilies mean many thing in dissimilar area of the world , but they have special significance in Buddhism and Hinduism . For these faith , the body of water lily symbolize Resurrection of Christ because its efflorescence conclude up at Nox and reopen in the cockcrow , interchangeable to a spiritual rebirth . Buddhists also believe that the pee lily represent enlightenment because a beautiful bloom emerges from the disconsolate mud .
6. The Water Lily Is a Star in the Art World
The Impressionist painter Claude Monet often used water lily as a national . In fact , he painted more than 250 pieces that feature this aquatic plant , and several of them are among his most famed workings of nontextual matter .
Frequently Asked Questions
Some species ( like the fragrant water lilyNymphaea odorata ) are considered invasive or classified as a noxious weed in some states . They can form dull mat of stem and foliage that crowd together out other plant , tangle in boats , create breeding dry land for mosquitoes , and cause issues for swimmer . mark off with your local extension avail before found water lilies in natural bodies of water or confine them to a container .
Preferences depend on the species , but most prefer still H2O away from waterfalls , current , fountains , and heart . They grow via rootstock and need about six hour of direct sun day by day to flower .
No . Despite its common name , the H2O lily is not a true lily . Lilies(of the genusLilium ) are herbaceous flowering plants that acquire from bulbs . Water lily are from the genusNymphaea , a collection of both raw and unfearing aquatic plants .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
urine lily can hold up for 15 to 20 years ( or even longer ) in the correct conditions .
“ Water Lilies for the Home Gardener . ” Missouri Botanical Garden .
Xiong , Xianghui et al . “ piss lily enquiry : Past , present , and future . ”Tropical Plants , vol . 2 . no . 1 , 2023 . doi:10.48130 / TP-2023 - 0001
Credit: Bob Stefko
“ Introduction to the Nymphaeales . ” University of California Museum of Paleontology .
“ Water Lily . ” Britannica .
“ The Waterlily Weigh - Off . ” Denver Botanic Gardens .
" Water Lily - Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens . " National Park Service .
" Weed Alert - Fragrant Water Lily . " King County Noxious Weed Control Program — Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board .
