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{{Short description|Genus of aquatic plants}}
{{About|the plant||Nymphaeum}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Nymphaea alba.001 - Breendonk.jpg
|image_caption = ''Nymphaea alba'' L., the type species of the genus<ref name = "IPNI, 2023" />
|taxon = Nymphaea
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = 65 species, see text<ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=330032-2 |title=''Nymphaea'' L. |accessdate=9 January 2024}}</ref>
|synonyms = {{species list
|Castalia |Salisb., Parad. Lond. 1: t. 14 (1805)
|Leuconymphaea |Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 11 (1891)
|Ondinea |Hartog, Blumea 18: 413 (1970)}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO" />
|type_species = ''[[Nymphaea alba]]'' L.<ref name = "IPNI, 2023">{{IPNI|taxon=''Nymphaea'' |id=330032-2}}</ref>
}}

'''''Nymphaea''''' ({{IPAc-en|n|ɪ|m|ˈ|f|iː|ə}}) is a [[genus]] of [[hardiness (plants)|hardy]] and tender [[aquatic plant]]s in the family [[Nymphaeaceae]]. The genus has a [[cosmopolitan distribution]]. Many species are cultivated as [[ornamental plant]]s, and many [[cultivar]]s have been bred. Some taxa occur as [[introduced species]] where they are not native,<ref name=fna>{{efloras|1|122531|''Nymphaea''}}</ref> and some are [[weed]]s.<ref name=jeps>{{Jepson eFlora|id=8797 |taxon=''Nymphaea''}}</ref> Plants of the genus are known commonly as '''water lilies''',<ref name=fna/><ref name=itis>{{ITIS|id=18383 |taxon=''Nymphaea''}}</ref> or '''waterlilies''' in the United Kingdom.

==Description==
[[File:Nymphaea_leaf_cross-section.jpg|thumb|A [[bright-field microscopy|bright-field]] [[micrograph]] of a cross-section of a floating leaf of ''[[Nymphaea alba]]''.<br/>{{hlist|E1: upper epiderm |E2: lower epiderm |P: palisade mesophyll |M: spongy mesophyll |B: vascular bundle |I: intercellular gap |S: sclerenchyma}}]]
[[File:Nymphaea cf. gardneriana Planch.jpg|thumb|right|Complete specimen of [[Nymphaea gardneriana|''Nymphaea'' cf. ''gardneriana'']] Planch. with several floating leaves, as well as submerged leaves with scale bar (50 cm) on a white background]]
[[File:Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc. complete specimen.jpg|thumb|Complete specimen of [[Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea|''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''caerulea'']] (Savigny) Verdc. with scale bar (50 cm) on a white background]]
[[File:Rhizome of Nymphaea gigantea "Albert De Lestang".jpg|thumb|right|Rhizome of ''[[Nymphaea gigantea]]'' "Albert De Lestang" with scale bar (5 cm) against a grey background]]
[[File:Nymphaea alba sl72.jpg|thumb|right|Seeds of ''[[Nymphaea alba]]'' with scale bar (3 mm) against a grey background]]
[[File:Nymphaea alba sl71.jpg|thumb|right|Halved ''Nymphaea alba'' fruit with scale bar (20 mm) against a dark background]]
[[File:Nymphaea alba sl58.jpg|thumb|right|Longitudinal section of ''Nymphaea alba'' flower with scale bar (20 mm) against a dark background<br/>'''S''' = sepals, '''P''' = petals, '''St''' = stamina, '''An''' = anthers, '''O''' = ovary, '''SD''' = stigma disc, '''CT''' = carpellary teeth]]
[[File:Nymphaea prolifera Wiersema proliferating pseudanthium.jpg|thumb|Proliferating pseudanthium or tubiferous flower of ''[[Nymphaea prolifera]]'' Wiersema]]
[[File:Nymphaea lotus var. thermalis (DC.) Tuzson leaf.jpg|thumb|right|''Nymphaea lotus'' leaf with scale bar (5 cm)<br/>Upper surface (left) and lower surface (right)]]

===Vegetative characteristics===
Water lilies are aquatic, rhizomatous or tuberous, perennial or annual herbs<ref name = "Florabase">{{FloraBase|name= ''Nymphaea'' L. |id=21429}}</ref> with sometimes desiccation-tolerant,<ref name="Heslop-Harrison, 1955" /> branched or unbranched rhizomes,<ref name = "Flora of China">{{efloras|2|122531|''Nymphaea'' Linnaeus.}}</ref><ref name=fna/> which can be [[stolon]]iferous, or lacking stolons.<ref name=fna/> The tuberous or fibrous roots are contractile.<ref name = "Flora e Funga do Brasil">{{cite web |last=Pellegrini |first=M.O.O. |title=Nymphaeaceae |website=Flora e Funga do Brasil |publisher=Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro |url=https://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/FB10936 |access-date=27 Nov 2024}}</ref> The leaves are mostly floating,<ref name=fna/><ref name = "Flora of China" /><ref name = "VicFlora">{{cite web |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria |title=''Nymphaea'' |website=VicFlora Flora of Victoria. |access-date=November 26, 2024 |url= https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/cb56044c-3244-4b72-ad90-e9db471241b2}}</ref> but submerged and emergent leaves occur as well.<ref name="Conard, 1905">{{Cite book |last1=Conard |first1=Henry S. |last2=Conard |first2=Henry S. |date=1905 |title=The waterlilies: a monograph of the genus Nymphaea |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/108991 |publisher=the Carnegie Institution of Washington}}</ref> The shape of the lamina can be ovate, orbicular,<ref name = "VicFlora" /><ref name = "Flora of Pakistan">{{efloras|5|122531|''Nymphaea'' L.}}</ref> elliptic,<ref name=fna/> hastate,<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> or sagittate.<ref name="Trickett, 1971">{{Cite journal |last=Trickett |first=Robert S. |date=1971 |title=A New Tropical American Waterlily, ''Nymphaea belophylla'' |jstor=4117321 |journal=Kew Bulletin |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=29–31 |doi=10.2307/4117321 |bibcode=1971KewBu..26...29T |issn=0075-5974}}</ref> The width of the lamina ranges in size from 2.5–3&nbsp;cm<ref name="Fischer, 1988">{{Cite journal |last=Fischer |first=Eberhard |date=1988 |title=Beiträge zur Flora Zentralafrikas. I. Eine neue Nymphaea sowie ein neuer Streptocarpus aus Rwanda |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1522-239X.1988.tb00351.x |journal=Feddes Repertorium |language=de |volume=99 |issue=9–10 |pages=385–390 |doi=10.1002/j.1522-239X.1988.tb00351.x |issn=1522-239X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> to 40–60&nbsp;cm.<ref name="Conard, 1905" /> The lamina has a deep [[Sinus (botany)|sinus]]<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /><ref name="Conard, 1905" /><ref name = "VicFlora" /> and the basal lobes can be overlapping or divergent.<ref name=fna/> The margin of the lamina can be entire, dentate,<ref name = "Flora of China" /> or sinuate.<ref name = "Flora of Australia">{{cite book|first1=S.W.L. |last1=Jacobs |first2=C.L. |last2=Porter. |chapter=''Nymphaea'' |title=Flora of Australia |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water |location=Canberra |chapter-url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Nymphaea |access-date= 27 November 2024 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240816230746/https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Nymphaea |archive-date=2024-08-16}}</ref> The leaves can be [[stipule|stipulate]],<ref name="Conard, 1905" /><ref name = "Florabase" /> or exstipulate.<ref name = "Florabase" /> The petioles are a few centimetres to 5–6 m long, and 0.3–1.9&nbsp;cm wide.<ref name="Conard, 1905" />

===Generative characteristics===
The flowers are emergent, floating,<ref name=fna/> or rarely submerged.<ref name="Landon et al., 2006">{{Cite journal |last1=Landon |first1=Kenneth |last2=Edwards |first2=Richard A. |last3=Nozaic |first3=P. Ivan |date=2006 |title=A New Species of Waterlily (nymphaea Minuta: Nymphaeaceae) from Madagascar |url=http://aquaria.palo-alto.ca.us/plants/n/Nymphaea/minuta/Nympaeae_minutae.pdf |journal=SIDA, Contributions to Botany |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=887–893 |issn=0036-1488 |jstor=41969055}}</ref> The diurnal or nocturnal,<ref name=fna/> [[Chasmogamy|chasmogamous]] or rarely [[Cleistogamy|cleistogamous]],<ref name = "Flora e Funga do Brasil" /> solitary, hermaphrodite, entomophilous,<ref name = "Florabase" /> fragrant or inodorous flowers<ref name="Wiersema, 1988">{{Cite journal |last=Wiersema |first=John H. |date=1988 |title=Reproductive Biology of ''Nymphaea'' (Nymphaeaceae) |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=75 |issue=3 |pages=795–804 |doi=10.2307/2399367 |issn=0026-6493 |jstor=2399367|bibcode=1988AnMBG..75..795W |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/35833 }}</ref> are mostly [[protogynous]].<ref name="Wiersema, 1988" /> The flowers have (3–)4(–5)<ref name = "Florabase" /> green, sometimes spotted sepals,<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> and about 6–50<ref name = "Florabase" /> lanceolate to spathulate, differently coloured petals,<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> which are often gradually transitioning into the shape of the stamens.<ref name = "Flora of Pakistan" /><ref name = "Flora of China" /><ref name=fna/> The gap between petals and stamens can be present or absent.<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> The androecium consists of 20–750 stamens.<ref name = "Florabase" /> The stamens can be petaloid<ref name = "Flora of Pakistan" /> or not petal-like.<ref name=jeps /> The gynoecium consists of 5–35 carpels.<ref name = "Florabase" /> The carpels usually possess a sterile appendage.<ref name = "Flora of Pakistan" /> The globose,<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> fleshy, spongy, irregularly dehiscent fruit,<ref name = "Florabase" /> borne on a terete, glabrous or pubescent,<ref name="Conard, 1905" /> curved or coiled peduncle,<ref name=fna/> bears arillate,<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /><ref name=jeps /> globose to elliptic,<ref name=jeps /> hairy or glabrous seeds<ref name = "Flora of Australia" /> with a smooth surface or longitudinal ridges.<ref name = "Flora of China" /> Proliferating pseudanthia or tuberous flowers (i.e., sterile, branching, proliferating floral structures for vegetative propagation<ref name="Grob et al., 2006">{{Cite journal |last1=Grob |first1=Valentin |last2=Moline |first2=Philip |last3=Pfeifer |first3=Evelin |last4=Novelo |first4=Alejandro R. |last5=Rutishauser |first5=Rolf |date=2006-11-01 |title=Developmental morphology of branching flowers in Nymphaea prolifera |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/156395/1/ZORA_NL_156395.pdf |journal=Journal of Plant Research |language=en |volume=119 |issue=6 |pages=561–570 |doi=10.1007/s10265-006-0021-8 |pmid=17021936 |bibcode=2006JPlR..119..561G |issn=1618-0860}}</ref>) can be present or absent.<ref name="de Lima et al., 2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Carla Teixeira de Lima |last2=Machado |first2=Isabel Cristina |last3=Giulietti |first3=Ana Maria |date=2021-03-03 |title=Nymphaeaceae of Brasil |url=http://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sitientibusBiologia/article/view/4986 |journal=SITIENTIBUS série Ciências Biológicas |language=pt |volume=21 |issn=2238-4103 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240221070548/https://periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sitientibusBiologia/article/view/4986 |archive-date=2024-02-21}}</ref><ref name="Wiersema, 1987">{{Cite journal |last=Wiersema |first=John H. |date=1987 |title=A Monograph of ''Nymphaea'' Subgenus ''Hydrocallis'' (Nymphaeaceae) |jstor=25027681 |journal=Systematic Botany Monographs |volume=16 |pages=1–112 |doi=10.2307/25027681 |issn=0737-8211}}</ref>

==Cytology==
Various [[ploidy]] levels have been observed in ''Nymphaea'': 2x, 3x, 4x, 6x, 8x, and 16x. The chromosome count ranges from 28 to 224.<ref name = "Pellicer et al., 2013">{{cite journal | last1=Pellicer | first1=J. | last2=Kelly | first2=L.J. | last3=Magdalena | first3=C. | last4=Leitch | first4=I.J. | title=Insights into the dynamics of genome size and chromosome evolution in the early diverging angiosperm lineage Nymphaeales (water lilies) | journal=Genome | volume=56 | issue=8 | date=2013 | issn=0831-2796 | doi=10.1139/gen-2013-0039 | doi-access=free | pages=437–449 | pmid=24168627 }}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
The genus ''Nymphaea'' L. was described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1753. It has three synonyms: ''Castalia'' Salisb. published by [[Richard Anthony Salisbury]] in 1805, ''Leuconymphaea'' Kuntze published by [[Otto Kuntze]] in 1891, and ''Ondinea'' Hartog published by [[Cornelis den Hartog]] in 1970.<ref name="POWO" /> The type species is ''Nymphaea alba'' L.<ref name = "IPNI, 2023" />

=== Subgenera ===
The genus ''Nymphaea'' has been divided into several [[Subgenus|subgenera]]:
* [[Nymphaea subg. Anecphya|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Anecphya'']] (Casp.) Conard<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=''Nymphaea'' subgen. ''Anecphya'' |id=133996-3}}</ref>
* [[Nymphaea subg. Brachyceras|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Brachyceras'']] (Casp.) Conard<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=''Nymphaea'' subgen. ''Brachyceras'' |id=77303968-1}}</ref>
* [[Nymphaea subg. Confluentes|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Confluentes'']] S.W.L.Jacobs<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=''Nymphaea'' subgen. ''Confluentes'' |id=77081992-1}}</ref>
* [[Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Hydrocallis'']] (Planch.) Conard<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=''Nymphaea'' subgen. ''Hydrocallis'' |id=77303969-1}}</ref>
* [[Nymphaea subg. Lotos|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Lotos'']] (DC.) Conard<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=''Nymphaea'' subgen. ''Lotos'' |id=77303970-1}}</ref>
* [[Nymphaea subg. Nymphaea|''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Nymphaea'']] ([[Autonym (botany)|autonym]])<ref>{{cite web |title=''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Nymphaea'' |website=Australian National Species List (auNSL) |access-date=February 23, 2025 |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/name/apni/212035}}</ref>

===Sections===
The subgenus ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Nymphaea'' has been divided into sections:
*[[Nymphaea sect. Chamaenymphaea|''Nymphaea'' sect. ''Chamaenymphaea'']] (Planch.) Wiersema<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=Nymphaea sect. Chamaenymphaea |id=994069-1}}</ref>
*[[Nymphaea sect. Nymphaea|''Nymphaea'' sect. ''Nymphaea'']] (autonym)
*[[Nymphaea sect. Xanthantha|''Nymphaea'' sect. ''Xanthantha'']] (Casp.) Wiersema<ref>{{IPNI |taxon=Nymphaea sect. Xanthantha |id=1194152-2 }}</ref>

=== Species ===
As of January 2024, there are 65 accepted species by [[Plants of the World Online]]:<ref name="POWO"/>
{{Div col|colwidth=21em}}
*''[[Nymphaea abhayana]]'' {{small|A.Chowdhury & M.Chowdhury}}
*''[[Nymphaea alba]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Nymphaea alexii]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea amazonum]]'' {{small|Mart. & Zucc.}}
*''[[Nymphaea ampla]]'' {{small|(Salisb.) DC.}}
*''[[Nymphaea atrans]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs}}
*''[[Nymphaea belophylla]]'' {{small|Trickett}}
*[[Nymphaea × borealis|''Nymphaea'' × ''borealis'']] {{small|E.G.Camus}}
*''[[Nymphaea caatingae]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea candida]]'' {{small|C.Presl}}
*''[[Nymphaea carpentariae]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea conardii]]'' {{small|Wiersema}}
*[[Nymphaea × daubenyana|''Nymphaea'' × ''daubenyana'']] {{small|W.T.Baxter ex Daubeny}}
*''[[Nymphaea dimorpha]]'' {{small|I.M.Turner}}
*''[[Nymphaea divaricata]]'' {{small|Hutch.}}
*''[[Nymphaea elegans]]'' {{small|Hook.}}
*''[[Nymphaea elleniae]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs}}
*''[[Nymphaea francae]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea gardneriana]]'' {{small|Planch.}}
*''[[Nymphaea georginae]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea gigantea]]'' {{small|Hook.}}
*''[[Nymphaea glandulifera]]'' {{small|Rodschied}}
*''[[Nymphaea gracilis]]'' {{small|Zucc.}}
*''[[Nymphaea guineensis]]'' {{small|Schumach. & Thonn.}}
*''[[Nymphaea harleyi]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea hastifolia]]'' {{small|Domin}}
*''[[Nymphaea heudelotii]]'' {{small|Planch.}}
*''[[Nymphaea immutabilis]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs}}
*''[[Nymphaea jacobsii]]'' {{small|Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea jamesoniana]]'' {{small|Planch.}}
*''[[Nymphaea kakaduensis]]'' {{small|Hellq., A.Leu & M.L.Moody}}
*''[[Nymphaea kimberleyensis]]'' {{small|(S.W.L.Jacobs) S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea lasiophylla]]'' {{small|Mart. & Zucc.}}
*''[[Nymphaea leibergii]]'' {{small|(Morong) Rydb.}}
*''[[Nymphaea lingulata]]'' {{small|Wiersema}}
*''[[Nymphaea loriana]]'' {{small|Wiersema, Hellq. & Borsch}}
*''[[Nymphaea lotus]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Nymphaea lukei]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea macrosperma]]'' {{small|Merr. & L.M.Perry}}
*''[[Nymphaea maculata]]'' {{small|Schumach. & Thonn.}}
*''[[Nymphaea manipurensis]]'' {{small|Asharani & Biseshwori}}
*''[[Nymphaea mexicana]]'' {{small|Zucc.}}
*''[[Nymphaea micrantha]]'' {{small|Guill. & Perr.}}
*''[[Nymphaea noelae]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea nouchali]]'' {{small|Burm.f.}}
*''[[Nymphaea novogranatensis]]'' {{small|Wiersema}}
*''[[Nymphaea odorata]]'' {{small|Aiton}}
*''[[Nymphaea ondinea]]'' {{small|Löhne, Wiersema & Borsch}}
*''[[Nymphaea oxypetala]]'' {{small|Planch.}}
*''[[Nymphaea paganuccii]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea pedersenii]]'' {{small|(Wiersema) C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea potamophila]]'' {{small|Wiersema}}
*''[[Nymphaea prolifera]]'' {{small|Wiersema}}
*''[[Nymphaea pubescens]]'' {{small|Willd.}}
*''[[Nymphaea pulchella]]'' {{small|DC.}}
*''[[Nymphaea rapinii]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea rubra]]'' {{small|Roxb. ex Andrews}}
*''[[Nymphaea rudgeana]]'' {{small|G.Mey.}}
*''[[Nymphaea siamensis]]'' {{small|Puripany.}}
*''[[Nymphaea stuhlmannii]]'' {{small|(Engl.) Schweinf. & Gilg}}
*''[[Nymphaea sulphurea]]'' {{small|Gilg}}
*[[Nymphaea × sundvikii|''Nymphaea'' × ''sundvikii'']] {{small|Hiitonen}}
*''[[Nymphaea tenuinervia]]'' {{small|Casp.}}
*''[[Nymphaea tetragona]]'' {{small|Georgi}}
*''[[Nymphaea thermarum]]'' {{small|Eb.Fisch.}}
*[[Nymphaea × thiona|''Nymphaea'' × ''thiona'']] {{small|D.B.Ward}}
*''[[Nymphaea vanildae]]'' {{small|C.T.Lima & Giul.}}
*''[[Nymphaea vaporalis]]'' {{small|S.W.L.Jacobs & Hellq.}}
*''[[Nymphaea violacea]]'' {{small|Lehm.}}
{{Div col end}}

===Fossil species===
*†''[[Nymphaea brongniartii]]'' {{au|(Caspary) Saporta}}<ref name="Butzmann & Fischer, 2013">{{Cite journal |last1=Butzmann |first1=Rainer |last2=Fischer |first2=Thilo C. |date=2013 |title=Fossil water lily fruits with seeds Nymphaea subgenus Lotos, from the Oligocene of Armissan/Narbonne (France) |url=https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/19017/1/zitteliana_2013_53_08.pdf |journal=Zitteliana |pages=93–104 |doi=10.5282/UBM/EPUB.19017}}</ref>
*†''[[Nymphaea elisabethae]]'' {{au|Gee & David W. Taylor}}<ref name = "Gee & Taylor, 2016">Gee, C. T., & Taylor, D. W. (2016). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311930521_Aquatic_macrophytes_from_the_upper_Oligocene_fossillagerstatte_of_Rott_Rhineland_Germany_Part_II_A_new_fossil_leaf_species_of_Nymphaea_subgenus_Lotos_N_elisabethae_Gee_et_David_W_Taylor_sp_nov Aquatic macrophytes from the upper Oligocene fossillagerstätte of Rott (Rhineland, Germany). Part II: A new fossil leaf species of ''Nymphaea'' (subgenus ''Lotos''), ''N. elisabethae'' Gee et David W. Taylor sp. nov.]</ref>
*†''[[Nymphaea haeringiana]]'' {{au|(Unger) Butzm., T.C. Fisch., E. Rieber}}<ref name = "Butzmann et al., 2009">{{cite journal |last1=Butzmann |first1=R. |last2=Fischer |first2=T. C. |last3=Rieber |first3=E. |year=2009 |url=https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/11981/1/zitteliana_2009_48_49_10.pdf |title=Makroflora aus dem inneralpinen Fächerdelta der Häring-Formation (Rupelium) vom Duxer Köpfl bei Kufstein/Unterinntal, Österreich |journal=Zitteliana |pages=129–163 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Nymphaea haeringiana'' (Unger) Butzm., T.C. Fisch., E. Rieber |website=The International Fossil Plant Names Index (IFPNI). |access-date=February 23, 2025 |url=https://www.ifpni.org/species.htm?id=85E65EC8-3883-78C6-160C-04A2E29D02B9}}</ref>
*†''[[Nymphaea minuta]]'' {{au|Saporta}}<ref name = "de Saporta, 1891">{{cite journal |last=de Saporta |first=G. |year=1891 |url=https://patrimoine.sorbonne-universite.fr/idviewer/2850/14 |title=Recherches sur la végétation du niveau aquitanien de Manosque|pages= 13–14 |journal=Librairie Polytechnique}}</ref>

===Evolutionary relationships===
The genus ''Nymphaea'' may be paraphyletic in its current circumscription, as the genera ''[[Euryale (plant)|Euryale]]'' and ''[[Victoria (plant)|Victoria]]'' have been placed within the genus ''Nymphaea'' in several studies.<ref name = "Song et al., 2024">{{cite journal | last1=Song | first1=Weicai | last2=Shi | first2=Wenbo | last3=Wang | first3=Huan | last4=Zhang | first4=Zirui | last5=Tao | first5=Ruiqing | last6=Liu | first6=Jin | last7=Wang | first7=Shuo | last8=Engel | first8=Michael S. | last9=Shi | first9=Chao | title=Comparative analysis of 12 water lily plastid genomes reveals genomic divergence and evolutionary relationships in early flowering plants | journal=Marine Life Science & Technology | volume=6 | issue=3 | date=2024-08-15 | issn=2662-1746 | pmid=39219675 | pmc=11358372 | doi=10.1007/s42995-024-00242-0 | doi-access=free | pages=425–441 | bibcode=2024MLST....6..425S |url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42995-024-00242-0.pdf}}</ref><ref name = "Löhne et al., 2008">{{cite journal | last1=Löhne | first1=Cornelia | last2=Yoo | first2=Mi-Jeong | last3=Borsch | first3=Thomas | last4=Wiersema | first4=John | last5=Wilde | first5=Volker | last6=Bell | first6=Charles D. | last7=Barthlott | first7=Wilhelm | last8=Soltis | first8=Douglas E. | last9=Soltis | first9=Pamela S. | title=Biogeography of Nymphaeales: extant patterns and historical events | journal=Taxon | volume=57 | issue=4 | date=2008 | issn=0040-0262 | doi=10.1002/tax.574008 | page=1123 | bibcode=2008Taxon..57.1123L | url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tax.574008 | url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name = "He et al., 2018">{{cite journal | last1=He | first1=Dingxuan | last2=Gichira | first2=Andrew W. | last3=Li | first3=Zhizhong | last4=Nzei | first4=John M. | last5=Guo | first5=Youhao | last6=Wang | first6=Qingfeng | last7=Chen | first7=Jinming | title=Intergeneric Relationships within the Early-Diverging Angiosperm Family Nymphaeaceae Based on Chloroplast Phylogenomics | journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences | publisher=MDPI AG | volume=19 | issue=12 | date=2018-11-28 | issn=1422-0067 | doi=10.3390/ijms19123780 | doi-access=free | page=3780 | pmid=30486510 | pmc=6320877 |url=https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/12/3780/pdf}}</ref><ref name = "Loehne et al., 2007">{{cite journal | last1=Löhne | first1=Cornelia | last2=Borsch | first2=Thomas | last3=Wiersema | first3=John H. | title=Phylogenetic analysis of Nymphaeales using fast-evolving and noncoding chloroplast markers | journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society | volume=154 | issue=2 | date=2007 | issn=1095-8339 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2007.00659.x | doi-access=free | pages=141–163 |url=https://www.academia.edu/download/51262688/Phylogenetic_analysis_of_Nymphaeales_usi20170109-5216-8psonq.pdf}}</ref><ref name = "Roestel et al., 2024">{{cite journal | last1=Roestel | first1=Jessica A. | last2=Wiersema | first2=John H. | last3=Jansen | first3=Robert K. | last4=Borsch | first4=Thomas | last5=Gruenstaeudl | first5=Michael | title=On the importance of sequence alignment inspections in plastid phylogenomics – an example from revisiting the relationships of the water-lilies | journal=Cladistics | volume=40 | issue=5 | date=2024 | issn=0748-3007 | doi=10.1111/cla.12584 | doi-access=free | pages=469–495 | pmid=38761095 }}</ref>

===Etymology===
The genus name is from the [[Greek language|Greek]] νυμφαία, ''nymphaia'' and the [[Latin]] ''nymphaea'', which means "water lily" and were inspired by the [[nymph]]s of [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology|Latin mythology]].<ref name=fna/>

==Ecology==
===Habitat===
''Nymphaea'' occurs in freshwater,<ref name = "Parveen et al., 2022">Parveen, S., Kaur, S., Baishya, R., & Goel, S. (2022). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Seema-Parveen-3/publication/364241722_Predicting_the_potential_suitable_habitats_of_genus_Nymphaea_in_India_using_MaxEnt_modeling/links/63a6e103c3c99660eb9fdf3d/Predicting-the-potential-suitable-habitats-of-genus-Nymphaea-in-India-using-MaxEnt-modeling.pdf Predicting the potential suitable habitats of genus ''Nymphaea'' in India using MaxEnt modeling.] Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(12), 853.</ref> as well as brackish water habitats.<ref name="Wiersema & Haynes, 1983">{{Cite journal |last1=Wiersema |first1=John H. |last2=Haynes |first2=Robert R. |date=1983 |title=Aquatic and Marsh Plants of Alabama III. Magnoliidae |journal=Castanea |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=99–108 |issn=0008-7475 |jstor=4033073}}</ref>

===Pollination===
Flowers of ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Hydrocallis'' are pollinated by ''[[Cyclocephala]]'' beetles.<ref name="Maia et al., 2014">{{Cite journal |last1=Maia |first1=Artur Campos Dália |last2=de Lima |first2=Carla Teixeira |last3=Navarro |first3=Daniela Maria do Amaral Ferraz |last4=Chartier |first4=Marion |last5=Giulietti |first5=Ana Maria |last6=Machado |first6=Isabel Cristina |date=2014-07-01 |title=The floral scents of Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis (Nymphaeaceae), the New World night-blooming water lilies, and their relation with putative pollinators |url=https://www.academia.edu/download/87363769/phytochemistry_1_s2.0_S0031942214001770_main.pdf |journal=Phytochemistry |volume=103 |pages=67–75 |doi=10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.04.007 |pmid=24814399 |bibcode=2014PChem.103...67M |issn=0031-9422}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=M. Cramer |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Meeuse |first2=A. D. J. |last3=Teunissen |first3=P. A. |date=1975-01-01 |title=A note on the pollination of nocturnally flowering species of Nymphaea |url=https://natuurtijdschriften.nl/pub/540103/ABN1975024005013.pdf |journal=Acta Botanica Neerlandica |language=en |volume=24 |issue=5/6 |pages=489–490 |doi=10.1111/j.1438-8677.1975.tb01039.x |bibcode=1975AcBN...24..489C |issn=0044-5983}}</ref> Likewise, beetle pollination by ''[[Ruteloryctes morio]]'', a member of the same [[Cyclocephalini]] tribe, has been reported in ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Lotos''.<ref name="Hirthe & Porembski, 2003">{{Cite journal |last1=Hirthe |first1=G. |last2=Porembski |first2=S. |date=November 2003 |title=Pollination of Nymphaea lotus (Nymphaeaceae) by Rhinoceros Beetles and Bees in the Northeastern Ivory Coast |url=https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2003-44717 |journal=Plant Biology |language=en |volume=5 |issue=6 |pages=670–676 |doi=10.1055/s-2003-44717 |bibcode=2003PlBio...5..670H |issn=1435-8603}}</ref><ref name="Ervik & Knudsen, 2003">{{Cite journal |last1=ERVIK |first1=FINN |last2=KNUDSEN |first2=JETTE T. |date=2003-11-01 |title=Water lilies and scarabs: faithful partners for 100 million years? |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229644339 |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=539–543 |doi=10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00258.x |issn=0024-4066}}</ref><ref name = "Krell et al., 2003">{{cite journal |last1=Krell |first1=F. T. |last2=Hirthe |first2=G. |last3=Seine |first3=R. |last4=Porembski |first4=S. |year=2003 |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=17b5a1d0a801289a4b88acecd7f5c76c103a08a3 |title=Rhinoceros beetles pollinate water lilies in Africa (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae; Magnoliidae: Nymphaeaceae) |journal=Ecotropica |volume=9|issue=1/2 |pages=103–106}}</ref> The subgenera ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Anecphya'' and ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Brachyceras'' are pollinated by bees and flies.<ref name="Chalegre et al., 2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Chalegre |first1=Sofia Lucas |last2=Domingos-Melo |first2=Arthur |last3=de Lima |first3=Carla Teixeira |last4=Giulietti |first4=Ana Maria |last5=Machado |first5=Isabel Cristina |date=2020-08-01 |title=Nymphaea pulchella (Nymphaeaceae) and Trigona spinipes (Apidae) interaction: From florivory to effective pollination in ponds surrounded by pasture |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304377020300772 |journal=Aquatic Botany |volume=166 |article-number=103267 |doi=10.1016/j.aquabot.2020.103267 |bibcode=2020AqBot.16603267C |issn=0304-3770|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The subgenus ''Nymphaea'' subg. ''Nymphaea'' is pollinated by bees, flies and beetles.<ref name="Capperino & Schneider, 1985">{{Cite journal |last1=Capperino |first1=M. E. |last2=Schneider |first2=E. L. |date=1985-10-01 |title=Floral biology of Nymphaea mexicana zucc. (Nymphaeaceae) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304377085900221 |journal=Aquatic Botany |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=83–93 |doi=10.1016/0304-3770(85)90022-1 |bibcode=1985AqBot..23...83C |issn=0304-3770|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Herbivory===
Many birds feed on seeds and fruits of ''Nymphaea''.<ref name = "Parveen et al., 2022" />

===Invasive species===
Outside of its natural habitat, ''N. mexicana'' and hybrids thereof have become invasive weeds.<ref name = "Reid et al., 2021">Reid, M. K., Naidu, P., Paterson, I. D., Mangan, R., & Coetzee, J. A. (2021). [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S0304377021000218 Population genetics of invasive and native ''Nymphaea mexicana'' Zuccarini: Taking the first steps to initiate a biological control programme in South Africa.] Aquatic Botany, 171, 103372.</ref><ref name = "Reid et al., 2024">Reid, M. K., Sutton, G. F., Coetzee, J. A., Gettys, L. A., & Hill, M. P. (2024). [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2989/16085914.2024.2341671 Distribution and host preference of a potential biocontrol agent with a new association for the alien water lily ''Nymphaea mexicana'' in South Africa.] African Journal of Aquatic Science, 49(2), 132-144.</ref><ref name = "Reid et al., 2023">Reid, M. K., Paterson, I. D., Coetzee, J. A., Gettys, L. A., & Hill, M. P. (2023). [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964423001445 Know thy enemy: Investigating genetic contributions from putative parents of invasive ''Nymphaea mexicana'' hybrids in South Africa as part of efforts to develop biological control.] Biological Control, 184, 105291.</ref> It has been proposed to employ the weevil species ''[[Bagous longulus]]'' as a biocontrol agent against ''Nymphaea mexicana'' in South Africa.<ref name = "Reid et al., 2024" /> Invasive horticultural hybrids can pose a threat to ''Nymphaea'' species through introgressive hybridisation.<ref name = "Yakandawala & Yakandawala, 2011">Yakandawala, D., & Yakandawala, K. (2011). [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kapila-Yakandawala/publication/257367051_Hybridization_between_native_and_invasive_alien_plants_an_overlooked_threat_to_the_biodiversity_of_Sri_Lanka/links/00b49525200887ba44000000/Hybridization-between-native-and-invasive-alien-plants-an-overlooked-threat-to-the-biodiversity-of-Sri-Lanka.pdf Hybridization between native and invasive alien plants: an overlooked threat to the biodiversity of Sri Lanka.] Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences), 40(1).</ref> The naturalised hybrids can displace native species and mask their disappearance, as it can be difficult to distinguish between species and naturalised hybrids.<ref name = "Nierbauer, 2014">Nierbauer, K. U., Kanz, B., & Zizka, G. (2014). [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367253014000085 The widespread naturalisation of Nymphaea hybrids is masking the decline of wild-type ''Nymphaea alba'' in Hesse, Germany.] Flora-Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants, 209(2), 122-130.</ref><ref name = "Yakandawala et al., 2017">Yakandawala, D., Guruge, S., & Yakandawala, K. (2017). [https://account.jnsfsl.sljol.info/index.php/sljo-j-jnsfsl/article/view/8232/6292 The identity of the violet flowered water lily (Nymphaeaceae) and its hybrid origin in the wetland ecosystems of Sri Lanka.] Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 45(2).</ref>

==Conservation==
Several species are in danger of extinction. ''Nymphaea thermarum'' is classified as critically endangered (CR),<ref name = "Abeli, 2024">{{cite iucn |author=Abeli, T. |year=2024 |title=''Nymphaea thermarum'' |volume=2024 |article-number=e.T185459A249717119 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T185459A249717119.en |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref> ''Nymphaea loriana'' is classified as endangered (EN),<ref name = "Lansdown, 2017">{{cite iucn |author=Lansdown, R.V. |year=2017 |title=''Nymphaea loriana'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T81359075A81360324 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T81359075A81360324.en |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref> ''Nymphaea stuhlmannii'' is classified as endangered (EN),<ref name = "Mollel, 2024">{{cite iucn |author=Mollel, N. |year=2024 |title=''Nymphaea stuhlmannii'' |volume=2024 |article-number=e.T185721A248552468 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T185721A248552468.en |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref> and [[Nymphaea nouchali var. mutandaensis|''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''mutandaensis'']] is also classified as endangered (EN).<ref name = "Luke et al., 2019">{{cite iucn |author=Luke, W.R.Q. |author2=Gereau, R. |author3=Beentje, H.J. |author4=Kabuye, C. |author5=Nshutiyayesu, S. |author6=Ntore, S. |year=2019 |title=''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''mutandaensis'' |volume=2019 |article-number=e.T111322366A111322382 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T111322366A111322382.en |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref>

== Cultivation ==
Water lilies are not only decorative, but also provide useful shade which helps reduce the growth of [[algae]] in ponds and lakes.<ref name="RHSAZ">{{cite book |title=RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4053-3296-5 |location=United Kingdom |pages=1136}}</ref> Many of the water lilies familiar in [[water garden]]ing are [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] and [[cultivar]]s. These cultivars have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]:
* 'Escarboucle'<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'Escarboucle' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/97341/Nymphaea-Escarboucle-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (orange-red)
* 'Gladstoniana'<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'Gladstoniana' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/120495/Nymphaea-Gladstoniana-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (double white flowers with prominent yellow stamens)
* 'Gonnère'<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'Gonnere' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90608/Nymphaea-Gonnere-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (double white scented flowers)
* 'James Brydon;'<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'James Brydon' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/97523/Nymphaea-James-Brydon-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (cupped rose-red flowers)
* [[Nymphaea × marliacea|'Marliacea Chromatella']]<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'Marliacea Chromatella' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91136/Nymphaea-Marliacea-Chromatella-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (pale yellow flowers)
* 'Pygmaea Helvola'<ref>{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Nymphaea'' 'Pygmaea Helvola' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/70332/Nymphaea-Pygmaea-Helvola-(H)/Details |access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> (miniature, with cupped fragrant yellow flowers)

== Toxicity ==
All water lilies are poisonous and contain an [[alkaloid]] called [[nupharin]] in almost all of their parts.<ref name=":0" />

== Uses ==

=== Culinary ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=June 2022}}
Despite their toxicity,<ref name=":0">Chapter 10 ''Nuphar'' Alkaloids. J.T. Wróbel, The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Physiology, 1967, Volume 9, Pages 441–465, {{doi|10.1016/S1876-0813(08)60206-7}}</ref> water lilies have some reported uses as food.

In India, it has mostly been eaten as a [[famine food]] or as a medicinal (both cooked).<ref name=Tiwari>{{cite journal |last1=Tiwari |first1=Ashok |title=Nutritional composition and antioxidative stress properties in boiled tuberous rhizome of Neel Kamal (''Nymphaea nouchali'' Burm. f.) |journal=Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources |date=September 2019 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=59–67}}</ref>

In [[Sri Lanka]] it was formerly eaten as a type of medicine and its price was too high to serve as a normal meal, but in the 1940s or earlier some villagers began to grow water lilies in the [[paddy field]]s left uncultivated during the [[monsoon]] season (Yala season), and the price dropped. The tubers are called ''manel'' here and eaten boiled and in curries.<ref name=Tiwari/>

In West Africa, usage varied between cultures, in the Upper [[Guinea]], the rhizomes were only considered famine foods; here the tubers were either roasted in ashes, or dried and ground into a flour. The [[Buduma people]] ate the seeds and rhizomes. Some tribes ate the rhizomes raw. The [[Hausa people]] of Ghana, Nigeria and the people of Southern Sudan used the tubers of ''N.&nbsp;lotus'', the seeds (inside the tubers) are locally referred to as 'gunsi' in Ghana. They are ground into flour.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Adanse |first1=John |last2=Bigson |first2=Kate |last3=Dare |first3=Nyefene Joe |last4=Glago |first4=Patricia |title=Proximate and Functional Properties of Water Lily (''Nymphaea Lotus''), Coconut (''Cocos Nicifera'') and Wheat (''Titricum Aestivum'') Flour Blends |journal=J Food Tech Food Chem |date=2021 |volume=3 |page=104}}</ref>

The plants were also said to be eaten in the [[Philippines]]. In the 1950s there were no records of leaves or flowers being eaten.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Irvine |first1=F. R. |last2=Trickett |first2=R. S. |date=1953 |title=Waterlilies as Food |journal=Kew Bulletin |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=363–370 |doi=10.2307/4115519 |issn=0075-5974 |jstor=4115519|bibcode=1953KewBu...8..363I }}</ref>

In a North American species, the boiled young leaves and unopened flower buds are said to be edible. The seeds, high in starch, protein, and oil, may be popped, parched, or ground into flour. Potato-like tubers can be collected from the species ''N.&nbsp;tuberosa'' (=''[[Nymphaea odorata|N.&nbsp;odorata]]'').<ref>{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=L. A.|title=A Field Guide to the Wild Edible Plants of Eastern and Central North America.|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|location=New York, New York|page=22}}</ref>

Water lilies were said to have been a major food source for a certain tribe of indigenous Australians in 1930, with the flowers and stems eaten raw, while the "roots and seedpods" were cooked either on an open fire or in a ground oven.<ref>McConnel, U. H. 1930. 'The Wik-Munkan Tribe of Cape York Peninsula'. Oceania 1: 97–108</ref>

[[Image:Dynasty 18 jar with support ring REM.JPG|thumb|100px|Blue lotus (''N.''&nbsp;''caerulea'') on an [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]] jar found at [[Amarna]]]]

===Other uses===
Tannins extracted from rhizomes are used in dyeing wool a purple-black or brown colour. The peduncles are used as pipes to smoke tobacco.<ref name="Heslop-Harrison, 1955">{{Cite journal |last=Heslop-Harrison |first=Yolande |date=1955 |title=''Nymphaea'' L. |jstor=2257032 |journal=Journal of Ecology |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=719–734 |doi=10.2307/2257032 |bibcode=1955JEcol..43..719H |issn=0022-0477}}</ref>

==Culture==

[[File:Monet - Seerosen 1906.jpg|thumb|''Water Lilies'' by [[Claude Monet]], 1906]]

The Ancient Egyptians used the water lilies of the [[Nile]] as cultural symbols.<ref name=Tresidder1997>{{cite book|last1=Tresidder|first1=Jack|title=The Hutchinson Dictionary of Symbols|date=1997|publisher=Duncan Baird Publishers|location=London|isbn=1-85986-059-1|page=126}}</ref> Since 1580 it has become popular in the English language to apply the Latin word [[Lotus tree|''lotus'']], originally used to designate a tree, to the water lilies growing in Egypt, and much later the word was used to translate words in Indian texts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/lotus|title=The Origin and Meaning of the word 'Lotus'|last=Harper|first=Douglas|website=Etymology Online|publisher=Douglas Harper |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> The lotus motif is a frequent feature of temple column architecture. In Egypt, the lotus, rising from the bottom mud to unfold its petals to the sun, suggested the glory of the sun's own emergence from the [[Primeval soup|primaeval slime]]. It was a metaphor of creation. It was a symbol of the fertility gods and goddesses as well as a symbol of the upper Nile as the giver of life.<ref name=Tresidder1997/>

A [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[Sexuality in ancient Rome#Healing and magic|belief]] existed that drinking a liquid of crushed ''Nymphaea'' in vinegar for 10 consecutive days turned a boy into a [[eunuch]].<ref>[[Marcellus Empiricus]], ''De medicamentis'' 33.64; compare [[Pliny the Elder]], ''Natural History'' 25.75 (37). "There is an herb called ''nymphaea'' in Greek, 'Hercules' club' in Latin, and ''baditis'' in Gaulish. Its root, pounded to a paste and drunk in vinegar for ten consecutive days, has the astonishing effect of turning a boy into a eunuch."</ref>

A Syrian terra-cotta plaque from the 14th–13th centuries&nbsp;BC shows the goddess [[Asherah]] holding two lotus blossoms. An ivory panel from the 9th-8th centuries BC shows the god [[Horus]] seated on a lotus blossom, flanked by two [[cherub]]s.<ref>Dever, W. G. ''Did God have a Wife? Archeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2008. pp 221, 279.</ref>

The [[french art|French]] [[Impressionist]] [[Painting|painter]] [[Claude Monet]] is known for [[Water Lilies (Monet series)|his many paintings of water lilies in the pond in his garden]] at [[Giverny]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Water Lilies: Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926)|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1983.532|website=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=8 March 2015|date=December 2008}}</ref>

''N. nouchali'' is the national flower of [[Bangladesh]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bangladesh Constitution. Part I, The Republic, 4(3)|url=http://www.pmo.gov.bd/pmolib/constitution/part1.htm|access-date=2013-06-22|archive-date=2013-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204251/http://www.pmo.gov.bd/pmolib/constitution/part1.htm}}</ref> and [[Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jayasuriya |first=M. |date=April 17, 2011 |title=Our national flower may soon be a thing of the past |url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/110417/Plus/plus_06.html |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=The Sunday Times}}</ref>

Water lilies are also used as ritual narcotics. According to one source, this topic "was the subject of a lecture by William Emboden given at Nash Hall of the [[Harvard Botanical Museum]] on the morning of April&nbsp;6, 1979".<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Ethnopharmacology Society Newsletter|date=Spring 1979|issue=4|volume=2}}</ref>

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Pälkäne uusi.svg|A ''Nymphaea'' flower in the coat of arms of [[Pälkäne]]
|Derafsh Kaviani flag of the late Sassanid Empire.svg|Lotus symbol of the [[Sasanian Empire]] flag
}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px">
File:Nymphaea alba2006-07-06.jpg|''[[Nymphaea alba]]''
File:Nymphaea-colorata 0122a.jpg|[[Nymphaea nouchali var. zanzibariensis|''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''zanzibariensis'']]
File:Nymphaeales - Nymphaea gigantea 14.jpg|''[[Nymphaea gigantea]]''
File:Nymphaea nouchali5.JPG|''[[Nymphaea nouchali]]''
File:Attraction.jpg|''Nymphaea'' 'Attraction'
File:Nymphaea Laydekeri Purpurata.jpg|[[Nymphaea × laydekeri|''Nymphaea'' 'Laydekeri Purpurata']]
File:Nymphaea mexicana (25) 1200.jpg|''[[Nymphaea mexicana]]''
File:Nymphaea capensis (14) 1200.jpg|[[Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea|''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''caerulea'']]
File:Unknown Australian waterlily.jpg|''Nymphaea'' sp.
Daubeny's water lily at BBG (50824).jpg|[[Nymphaea × daubenyana|''Nymphaea ''×'' daubenyana'']]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Albert de Lestang]], propagator and seed collector
* [[List of plants known as lily]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

* Knotts, K. [http://www.victoria-adventure.org/water_gardening/history/first_hybrid_waterlilies.html The first hybrid waterlilies.] 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124058/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?8329 GRIN Species Records of ''Nymphaea''.]

==Further reading==
* Slocum, P. D. ''Waterlilies and Lotuses''. Timber Press. 2005. {{ISBN|0-88192-684-1}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=V62dfNKTPP0C&pg=PA79&dq=%22Nymphaea+colorata%22&lr=&sig=jbavgQBqVNQuB3sXqTneC9Htz64#PPA79,M1 restricted online version at Google Books])
{{Taxonbar|from=Q146628|from2=Q87146383|from3=Q87181753|from4=Q2701203}}
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[[Category:Nymphaea| ]]
[[Category:Nymphaeales genera]]
[[Category:Freshwater plants]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]