Nymphaea caerulea Savigny

Nymphaea species are aquatic perennial herbs, laticiferous, rooted. Rhizomes erect or creeping, stoloniferous and sometimes branched. Leaves polymorphic, sublate, hastate, sagittate, deltoid to suborbicular, usually floating or submerged, membranous when young and coriaceous, prominently veined when mature, long petiolate. Flowers bisexual, usually solitary and floating, rarely submerged, yellow, white, pink, red and purple with long peduncles, sepals 4, free, hypogynous, petals 8 to numerous, hypogynous to perigynous. Stamens numerous, inflexed, shorter than petals and sepals, dorsifixed, filaments longer than anthers, anthers partially sunken, carpels 5-35, usually united partially or fully. ovary superior, ovules numerous. Fruits are irregularly dehiscent, when non-schizocarpic it is a berry, ovoid or globose, crowned, with green filaments, ripened under water, seed globose, enclosed in a fleshy bell shaped aril, smooth or with ridges.

Nymphaea species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: May-October.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Aquatic perennial herbs, rooted. Rhizomes erect or creeping, stoloniferous. Stem thick, blackish green and spongy. Leaves polymorphic, suborbicular to cordate or oval, about 10-45 x 9-43 cm across, base deeply hastate or cordate, margin entire or slightly undulate, apex obtuse or rounded, lowest pair of veins straight and divergently produced and basal lobes, basal lobes unequal, usually floating or submerged, membranous when young and coriaceous, prominently veined when mature beneath, long petiolate, Flowers bisexual, usually solitary and floating, blue, about 10-15 cm across, with long green peduncles, receptacle cylindrical, sepals 4, free, ovate-oblong, apex deeply acute or acuminate, brownish green outside, about 5-10 x 1.5 x 2 cm across, petals about 20-25, oblong-lanceolate, base attenuate, apex deeply acute, blue, hypogynous to perigynous. Stamens numerous, distributed up to summit of ovary, about 2.5-3.5 cm across, filaments of innermost stamens filiform, lanceolate, longer than anthers, anthers partially sunken, carpels completely united, ovary superior, about 10-30 loculate, stigma flat with a hemispheric central projection, yellow and stigmatic appendages incurved, triangular-ovate, about 3-4 mm long, sulcate inside. Fruit berry about 3-4 cm across. Seeds ellipsoid-globular, enclosed in a fleshy bell shaped aril, smooth.

Nymphaea species are susceptible to insect pests like water-lily beetle, water lily aphid. Diseases like water lily leaf spots, crown rots and brown spots.

Notes: Grown as ornamental, Native of N. Africa

Native of Egypt, cultivated in North India.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Alkaloids like apomorphine, a dopamine agonist and nuciferine. Used as anesthetic, astringent, antiseptic and an aphrodisiac to relieve pain, increase memory, increase circulation, promote sexual desire etc. Has good was historically, traditionally and religious importance.