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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