All information at a glance

Features in short

• Plant family: water lily plants
• Occurrence: Europe
• Locations: ponds, lakes, slow flowing rivers, sea bays
• Height: 50 to 300 cm
• Soil: soft, rich in nutrients
• Heyday: June to August
• Flower: 5 to 20 cm wide, white
• Fruit: berry, capsule-like
• Leaves: dark green, glossy, floating and water leaves
• Roots: creeping, not very branched
• Multiplication: Division, sowing
• Special feature: poisonous

Many names - more than around 40 species

This plant from the Nymphaeaceae family, of which there are more than 40 species, has the longest stems of the flora native to this country. They grow up to 3 m high! The best known is the white water lily. It is the most common and is also known under the names 'water lily' and 'god of waters'.

Leaves, flowers and fruits examined

The water lily has leaves above and below the water. The leaves, up to 30 cm in size, are leathery and those that swim under the surface of the water are curled up. The shape of the leaves is kidney-shaped to heart-shaped. Their color describes a dark green that gives off a slight sheen on the top.

The flowers have these characteristics:

• floating on the surface of the water
• up to 20 cm wide
• 4 sepals
• 20 petals
• mostly white, less often red
• hermaphroditic
• numerous stamens
• yellow scars
• slightly fragrant

After the flower has 'drowned', the fruit forms in the water. It becomes 5 cm tall, is quite juicy and capsule-like. When ripe, it releases the seeds it contains. These swim in the water until they strand and germinate somewhere. To the water lily too plants, the seeds can be used.