BLUE WATER LILY
Nymphaea elegans - Nymphaeaceae, Water Lily Family
DESCRIPTION: Aquatic flowering perennial herb
Height: Floating leaves from submerged
rhizomes
Flowers: Blue, lavender or pale blue
(whitish), 6 inches wide, spring,
summer and fall
Fruit: Nut-like
Foliage: Circular, green above, 8 inches
wide, and purple below but cut to
center where stem attaches
Growth rate: Fast
REQUIREMENTS:
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Mud
Drainage: Poor
Water: Flooded
Maintenance: Medium: cleaning out dead leaves
and flowers
Propagation: Seeds or root division
NATIVE HABITAT: Resaca, ponds, quiet streams,
canals, ditches and swamps
WILDLIFE USE: The floating leaves and submerged
stems give shelter and food to
many wetland animals.
COMMENTS: This showy pond plant is a must for your S. Texas pond or wet area. The
best way to establish this species is
to propagate by seed into small
pots or constructed places.
Transplantation is successful if all
roots are carefully buried. More
showy flowers are produced if fertilized once a month in summer |
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