water lily

Dictionary: water lily

n.
Any of various cosmopolitan aquatic herbs of the genus Nymphaea, having floating leaves and showy, variously colored flowers, especially N. odorata, with fragrant many-petaled white or pinkish flowers. Also called pond lily.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: water lily

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(click to enlarge)
Santa Cruz water lily (Victoria cruziana) (credit: (Top) Gottlieb Hampfler, (bottom) Elliot Levine — Shostal/EB Inc.)

Any of the freshwater plants in eight genera that make up the family Nymphaeaceae, native to temperate and tropical regions. All are perennial except those in the genus Euryale. Most have rounded, floating, waxy-coated leaves growing atop long stalks that contain many air spaces. Thick, fleshy, creeping underwater stems are buried in the mud. In some species the leaves are also submerged. Showy, solitary, cuplike flowers with numerous spirally arranged petals are borne at or above the water surface on the long stalks. The genus Nymphaea includes the water lilies proper (or water nymphs). The common North American white water lily, pond lily, or toad lily is N. odorata. The lotus of ancient Egyptian art was usually the blue lotus (N. caerulea). The largest water lilies are two species that make up the tropical South American genus Victoria; the Santa Cruz water lily (V. cruziana) has leaves 2 – 6 ft (60 – 180 cm) in diameter. Water lilies provide food for fish and wildlife but sometimes cause drainage problems because of their rapid growth. Many varieties have been developed for ornamental use in garden pools and conservatories.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: water lily

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water lily, common name for some members of the Nymphaeaceae, a family of freshwater perennial herbs found in most parts of the world and often characterized by large shield-shaped leaves and showy, fragrant blossoms of various colors. Among the plants of the family are the water lilies, lotuses, and pond lilies (called also cow lilies and spatterdocks) of the genera Nymphaea, Nelumbo, and Nuphar, respectively; however, the common names often overlap; e.g., "water lily" is used for most species of the family and even for other unrelated aquatic plants with similar flowers. Most species of Nymphaea in cultivation are tropical, but some of the hardy kinds are native to the United States and to the corresponding temperate areas of the Southern Hemisphere. Both day- and night-blooming species open at fairly definite hours. Included in the genus is the blue or white Egyptian lotus (Nymphaea caerulea or N. lotus, respectively), sacred from remote times and the national emblem of Egypt. The lotus flower is traditional in Egyptian art and architecture, as in the lotus capital. The genus Nelumbo contains two species: the American, or yellow, lotus, also called water chinquapin, is found in E North America; the Indian lotus, also called the sacred lotus or Egyptian bean, is sacred to Hinduism and to several other Asian religions, e.g., Buddhism. Its large pink blossom is used symbolically in religion and art. The seeds of the sacred lotus can remain viable after long periods of dormancy (see seed). Most species of Nuphar are native to North America. Many members of the water lily family have seeds or tubers that have been used for food; however, the fruit of the lotus-eaters of classical literature has been most often identified as that of the jujube of the buckthorn family or the nettle-tree of the elm family. Lotus is also the botanical name for a genus of the pea family. Water lilies are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Nymphaeales, family Nymphaeaceae.

Wikipedia: Nymphaeaceae

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Nymphaeaceae Fossil range: 130 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Early Cretaceous - Recent

Water Lily with Flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Angiospermae
Class:	see text
Order:	Nymphaeales
Family:	Nymphaeaceae Salisb. (1805)
Genera
Barclaya Euryale Nuphar Nymphaea Ondinea Victoria

Flower of Victoria cruziana or Victoria regia, giant water Lilly of the Amazon basin.

Nymphaeaceae (pronounced /ˌnɪmfiːˈeɪsiːʔiː/) is a name for a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains 8 genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world^[1]. The genus Nymphaea contains about 35 species across the Northern Hemisphere^[1]. The genus Victoria contains two species of giant water lilies and can be found in South America^[1]. Water lilies are rooted in soil in bodies of water, with leaves and flowers floating on the water surface. The leaves are round, with a radial notch in Nymphaea and Nuphar, but fully circular in Victoria.

Water lilies are divided into two main categories: hardy and tropical. Hardy water lilies bloom only during the day, but tropical water lilies can bloom either during the day or at night, and are the only group to contain blue-flowered plants.

Water lilies can be fragrant, such as Nymphaea odorata.

1 Classification
2 As invasive species
3 Symbolism
4 In visual arts
5 Gallery
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Classification

The genus Barclaya is sometimes given rank as its own family Barclayaceae on the basis of an extended perianth tube (combined sepals and petals) arising from the top of the ovary and by stamens that are joined basally. But recent work lends weight to placing it in the Nymphaeaceae.

In the past Nymphaeaceae often have been treated to include Cabombaceae but this is often treated as a separate family in the same order (Nymphaeales). The sacred lotus family Nelumbonaceae was once thought to be a water lily, but is now recognized to be a highly modified eudicot in the order Proteales. The order Nymphaeales is a lineage separate from monocots or eudicots.

The current phylogenetic placement is:

Angiospermae

Amborella

Nymphaeales

Austrobaileyales

Mesangiospermae

	Chloranthaceae

	magnoliids

	Ceratophyllum

	monocots

	eudicots

As invasive species

The beautiful nature of water lilies has led to their widespread use as ornamental plants. The Mexican water lily, native to the gulf coast of North America, is planted throughout the continent. It has escaped from cultivation and become invasive in some areas, such as California's San Joaquin Valley. It can infest slow moving bodies of water and is difficult to eradicate. Populations can be controlled by cutting top growth. Herbicides can also be used to control populations using glyphosate and fluridone ^[2].

Symbolism

The white water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh and State flower for Andhra Pradesh, India. The Blue waterlily is the national flower of Sri Lanka. It is also the birth flower for July.

In visual arts

Water Lilies, 1920-1926, Musée de l'Orangerie

Water lilies were depicted by the French artist Claude Monet in a series of paintings.

Gallery

Nymphaea nouchali in Hyderabad, India.	Nymphaea alba at Domburg, Netherlands.	A bee pollinating a water lily.	A painting of water lilies by Claude Monet.	Water lily at Hodges Gardens, Park and Wilderness Area, Louisiana, United States.
Water lilies in Mombasa, Kenya.	A woman standing on the large lilypad of a victoria water lily. A piece of wood has been placed atop the leaf to distribute her weight.	Tropical water lily in Malaysia.	Water lily from India Taken at Auroville, Pondicherry, India.	Water lilies at the Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria.
A pink water lily in Sydney, Australia.	Nymphaea alba taken at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Florida, United States.	Nymphaea alba at Missouri Botanical Garden,Missouri, United States.

References

The genera of the Nymphaeaceae and Ceratophyllaceae in the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 40: 94-112.
Perry D. Slocum: Waterlilies and Lotuses. Timber Press 2005, ISBN 0881926841 (restricted online version at Google Books)

External links

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nymphaeaceae". Read more