Nymphaea Nouchali: Blue Water Lily/frog's pulpit - Kaaimanblom (Afrikaans)

According to fossil evidence, the Nymphaea’s has changed very little over the past million years. The Ancient Greeks dedicated this lily to the water nymphs, thus the name Nympaea. In ancient Egypt, the Monarchs and Priests were laid to rest with a wreath made from the lily petals, it was also given to visiting noblemen and used during festivals. In China and Japan, you can find these lilies near temples and is considered sacred. It is the national flower of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. You can find this flower in the pages of well-known fairytales.

It is native to Asia and we have two species in South Africa, namely the Nymphaea Lotus and Nymphaea Nouchali.

The Nymphaea is an aquatic perennial plant which often forms a dense colony with floating leaves. The eaves are elliptic and cordate (the margins are rolled inwards to help the blades float). You can expect a beautiful display of star shaped blue, pink or sometimes white flowers all year long in your ponds or pots. These sweet fragrant flowers open from mid-morning but close at night. You can find the Nymphaea in shallow waters of (30-80cm deep) ponds, dams, pools, slow flowing rivers and streams, and for the smaller gardens you can keep them in water-filled pots (pay attention to add sufficient nutrients to the soil).

They are heavy feeders and enjoy tropical to temperate weather, full sun, nutrient-rich soil and 30-80 cm deep still water. Water lilies grown from seed can take up to 3-4 years to flower, it is better to propagate them by dividing the new growth in spring (pull the new roots apart and plant in fresh soil). This plant can spread over an area of a meter.

The Nymphaea is an edible plant and the Cape Malays from South Africa use it in their curries.

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