Nymphaea pubescens

Plant Characteristics

Habit		aquatic
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Water:	◍	wet
Features:	✓	flowers, foliage
Minimum Temp:	☃	15°C59 °F <br />288.15 K <br />518.67 °R <br />

Scientific Names

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The Hairy water lily or Pink water-lily (Nymphaea pubescens) is a species of water lily. This plant is common in shallow lakes and ponds throughout temperate and tropical Asia and Australasia. The leaves of this plant have fuzzy or hairy undersides and the stems are covered by the same hairs as well, hence the name "pubescens" or "hairy" of the species. This is not a characteristic that is apparent when looking at the plant from above the water though.

The hairy water lily is an aquatic plant having erect perennial rhizomes or rootstocks that anchor it to the mud in the bottom. The rhizomes produce slender stolons.

Its leave blades are round above the water and heart-shaped below 15–26(–50) cm, papery, abaxially densely pubescent. Some of the leaves that emerge rise slightly above the water held by their stem in lotus fashion, but most of them just float on the surface. The floating leaves have undy edges that make a crenellate effect.

The hairy water lily is also commercialized as an aquarium plant. The underwater leaves of this species have a handsome appearance that is appreciated by aquarists who often remove the floating leves to keep it as a fully subaquatic plant.

The flowers are quite large, about 15 cm in diameter when fully open. They tend to close during the daytime and open wide at night. Their color varies from white to pink, mauve or purple depending from the variety or hybrid.

Read about Nymphaea pubescens in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nymphaea zenkeri, Gilg. Lvs. suborbicular, deeply triangular-excised, repand-dentate, thin and mem- branaceous, 5 in. across, pilose beneath: fls. 2½-3 in. across; petals 7-8, ovate - lanceolate, acute. Cameroon.—A very distinct dwarf form, cult, in Germany; probably not grown here. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Nymphaea pubescens in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nymphaea pubescens, Willd. Lvs. ovate, 10-12 g in. long, dark green above, dull purplish green and more or less pubescent beneath: fls. small to medium, size, white; petals ovate, inner ones narrow; stamens inserted some distance above petals. India to Java and the Philippines.—Not cult. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Nymphaea pubescens in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nymphaea lotus, Linn. (C. Lotus, Woodv. & Wood. N. edulis, DC. N. thermalis, DC., of the hot springs of Hungary). White Lotus. Lvs. orbicular, dark green above, under surface brownish, smooth or slightly pubescent; diam. 12-20 in.: fl. white, the broad outer petals suffused pink, 5-10 in. across, open 7.30 P.M. to 11 A.M.; sepals pure green; petals concave, broad, 19 or 20; stamens 96-103, yellow; anthers shorter than the filaments. Egypt.—To this species may be assigned the garden forms N. thermalis with broad petals and cup-shaped fls. from the hot springs of Gross- wardein, Hungary; and the probable hybrids N. dentato-lotus, N. eastonensis and Jubilee. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Nymphaea pubescens in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nymphaea stellata, Willd. (C. stellata, Woodv. & Wood, incl. N. versicolor, Roxbg.). Blue Lotus of India. Lvs. elliptic-orbicular, rather broadly peltate; margin irregularly repand-dentate; lobes scarcely produced; green above, deep blue-violet beneath: fl. 3-7 in. across, pale blue (rarely pink or white), open 3 days from 8 A.M. to 2 P.M.; buds ovate; sepals with minute blackish dots; petals 11-14, dull white at base; stamens 33-54; appendage blue; anthers and filaments pale yellowish, and E. Asia.—White and pink forms occur in India. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

The hairy water lily is found both as a cultivated plant as well as in the wild. It prefers non-acidic waters and it doesn't tolerate temperatures below 15°C.

Varieties

This species of water lily has quite a few artificially raised varieties, in addition to many natural hybrids.

Nymphaea pubescens is known under a number of different synonyms, the most common of which is Nymphaea rubra for the reddish variant known under the commercial name Red water lily, which often has also purplish leaves.

Read about Nymphaea pubescens in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nymphaea rubra, Roxbg. Lvs. orbiculate, reddish brown, bronzy, becoming greenish, pubescent beneath, 12-18 in. across: fls. deep purplish red, 6-10 in. across, open 3 or 4 nights from 8 P.m. to 11 A.M.; sepals dull purplish red, 7-nerved, never opening more than 10° above horizontal; petals 12—20, narrowly oval, rounded at apex; stamens about 55. cinnabar-red in color, becoming brownish. India.—This species varies much in color, and produces fertile hybrids with N. Lotus and N. L. dentata. There are, therefore, a series of garden forms of all colors from delicate pink to deep purplish crimson. In these the petals vary from broadly ovate and concave to narrowly ovate and flat, and the fls. are from tulip-shape to wide open. Some are highly floriferous, others shy bloomers. Most of these are arranged in order of color: fls. very delicate pink: N. Smithiana, petals broad; N. indica Isis, N. Laelia, N. L. colorans. Fls. light pink: N. delicatissima, N. Deaniana, more pink, petals broad; N. Boucheana, N. indica Spira, Reine d'ltalie. Fls. rosy pink: N. kewensis (C. L. A. 25, March, p. 35), N. Micheliana. Fls. red-pink: N. Sturtevantii, fl. tulip-shape, very massive; N. rubicunda, Hofgartner Graebner. Fls. magenta: N. Omarana, fl. wide open, narrow petal; N. Ortgesiano-rubra, N. Mariae-Legrangei, N. Bissetii, Adele, Niobe, N. tulipifera, small, tulip-shape. Fls. rosy carmine: Diana, N. indica Brahma, N. rubra rosea, N. devoniensis N. Arnoldiana, Pres. Girard. Fls. carmine: N. Krumbiegelii, N. columbiana, N. Diana grandiflora. Fls. dark reel: a, purpurea, Doctor Florenze, Geo. Huster. Fls. crimson to deep purplish crimson: Frank Trelease, Rufus J. Lackland, James Gurney, Jr. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Gallery

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  Nymphaea rubra

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  Nymphaea pubescens in a lake

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  photo 3

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Nymphaea pubescens. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Nymphaea pubescens QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)