Water lilies, also called nymphea, water lily and, scientifically, nymphaea spp., are highly appreciated plants due to their beauty and their meaning, especially linked to spirituality. Is about water plants or aquatic plants that grow in the calm waters of rivers and ponds, as well as in certain lagoons and wetlands. They arise from a rhizome that is found at the bottom of the water, in contact with the solid deposits of the mud at the bottom, from where it takes its nutrients. From this rhizome, the leaves and flowers grow, which extend towards the surface of the water and, upon reaching this point, unfold, making the plant visible in all its beauty and maximum expression. If you want to know the water lily carebecause you are going to add some to your pond, fountain or lake, as well as learn about some of the types and the meaning they have, keep reading Green Ecology because in this article we will tell you everything.
Types of water lilies, nymphae or water lilies
It is considered that there more than 1,500 species of water lilies. However, some of them are the best known, both for their cultural and symbolic context and for their ease in being cultivated or appearing naturally in many freshwater ecosystems, such as rivers or lagoons. Some of the types of water lilies most important are the following:
- Nymphaea American Star: It gets its name from the starry shape of its flower. It has leaves that range from green to yellow.
- Nymphaea Caroliniana: similar to water lily Nymphaea American Star in its leaves and its resistance, but with flowers that tend to tend to light colors or almost white.
- Nymphaea Aurora: its leaves have purple spots and its flowers have a characteristic beige color when closed and orange when open.
- Nymphaea Virginalis: It is the water lily with the largest flower, which can reach up to 25 centimeters in length. It also needs fairly deep water to grow healthy.
- Nymphaea Alba: It is a water lily with quite small leaves, as well as equally small and very characteristic flowers due to their almost snowy white color.
- Nymphaea Escarboucle: It needs very deep water and a lot of sun. It is a type of water lily that is easy to recognize due to the burgundy or wine color of its flowers.
- Nymphaea carnea: It is characterized by its pink flowers. It is one of the easiest water lilies to grow, as it adapts particularly well to almost all environments. If you are thinking of planting some type of water lily and you are new to the field, we recommend that you opt for this species if you want to ensure success.
- Victoria Water Lily: These are the giant water lilies, like the ones in the image below, which are found in tropical areas, mainly in the Amazon. The leaves can measure up to 2 meters in diameter and its flowers are usually between 30 cm and 50 cm in diameter.
Water lily care – guide
The care that water lilies need They will depend on each type of water lily in question. However, they all have certain elements in common.
How to plant water lilies: the rhizomes
To begin with, we must bear in mind that they are born from a rhizome located in the sediments of the stagnant water from both calm rivers and lagoons, so it will be necessary to recreate this type of circumstances for it to grow properly. Depending on the type of water lily, it will be necessary to have a depth that can vary from 20 centimeters in shallower cases, up to 1.5 meters in the case of larger water lilies.
Water
Likewise, it is also important to keep the water in good hygiene conditions. It is very important to avoid chlorinated water, as well as water that has an excess of microorganisms that can harm water lilies.
light and temperature
Depending on the type of water lily, it will also be necessary to have certain hours of sunshine per day. In general, most of them adapt well to warm temperatures, with frost being the main enemies of this type of aquatic plant.
Meaning of the water lilies
The water lily is a plant that has a marked spiritual meaning. In Ancient Egypt it was linked to the passage between the world of the living and the world of the dead. In this sense, it is necessary to go back to the Egyptian creation myth, in which the universe is created by the deity Ra from the primordial ocean, a kind of dark and profound conception of the original chaos. In this way, the world would emerge from a dark sea by the action of the gods, who would be the creators of the world and the life it contains in opposition to that primeval and sterile ocean.
Similarly, the Egyptians noted the similarity between this myth and the water lily growth processspecifically the Nile river water lilies. The water lily rises from the depths of stagnant water and, upon reaching the surface, unfolds its leaves and flowers, showing all the beauty of life in each of its forms. Therefore, it was considered a plant that linked the world of the living and the world of the deadas well as that of human beings with that of the gods.
If you like water lilies or water lilies and you want to decorate your pond, fountain, lake or lagoon, we recommend you also consult this other EcologíaVerde article in which we show you +50 aquatic plants for ponds.
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