Nymphaea elegans
What is Elegant Water Lily?
Physical Characteristics
Leaves:
- Fleshy leaf stalks
- Oval-shaped
- Bottom of leaf purple-ish in color
- Top of leaf green
- 3.15-11.81 inches long
- 2.75-9.84 inches wide
- Edges flat or slightly wavy
Flowers:
- Above water
- 2.36-5.19 inches across
- Sepals and outer petals in whorls of 4
- Sepals green in color
- 8-27 petals
- Light purple to white in color
Seeds:
- Fleshy
- 0.04-0.06 inches long
- 0.04-0.05 inches wide
Stem:
- Rhizomes not branching
- Upright
- Oval shaped
Where Does it Grow?
USDA, NRCS. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Elegant water lily can be found in ponds, lakes, slow streams and ditches.
Pros and Cons of Elegant Water Lily
Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.