2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Nymphaea (lat. Nymphaea) - a light-loving aquatic or coastal perennial from the Waterlily family. Other names are water lily, water lily.
Description
Nymphaea is an incredibly attractive perennial aquatic plant with floating leaves of a round or heart-oval shape sitting on long petioles. The diameter of the nymphea's leaf blades often reaches thirty centimeters, while the leaf plates of this plant are almost always unequal.
The spectacular flowers of the nymphea, reaching fifteen centimeters in diameter, can be either pink or white or purple. As a rule, you can admire the flowering of this beauty in July and August.
In total, the genus of nymphea includes about fifty species.
Where grows
The nymph can be seen in various bodies of water located in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of our planet.
Usage
Nymphaea is a plant ideal for decorating ponds and a wide variety of other bodies of water. Most often in landscape design, a fragrant, dwarf or white nymph is grown, in general, the choice of a suitable variety is largely due to the size of the reservoirs. By the way, sometimes the nymphea is also grown in aquariums!
When choosing a nymphaea for ponds, it is important not to forget that its large varieties are quite powerful plants, the leaves of which can easily cover up to two square meters of water surface. Therefore, for small ponds, only dwarf varieties of nymphea should be selected - they will give the reservoirs the most natural look.
Nymphaea forms creeping and thick rhizomes, very rich in starch, at the bottom under water - such rhizomes are an excellent raw material for obtaining starch and for making flour from them. As a rule, cut rhizomes are pre-soaked in water - this is necessary to remove tannins from them. And toasted nymphaean seeds are a very good substitute for coffee!
Growing and caring
For planting in the conditions of central Russia, it is recommended to opt exclusively on winter-hardy varieties of nymphea, while it is important to remember that in all cases the nymphea is able to fully overwinter only with shelter. And it is best to place the nymphea in well-heated sunny places - this is where this beauty will feel especially good and comfortable.
The purchased nymphaea specimens are planted in containers specially designed for aquatic plants, after which these containers are placed at the depth indicated by the producer nursery. Depending on the nymphaea variety, the installation depth of containers can vary from fifteen centimeters to a meter. As a rule, dwarf varieties are usually kept at a depth of twenty to forty centimeters, and those that are larger are buried already thirty to sixty centimeters. Some especially large varieties will grow well at a depth of one and a half to two meters, easily acclimatizing in huge natural reservoirs.
And in preparation for the winter season, containers with a nymphea are usually removed either to a depth of half a meter or even a meter from the water surface, or in cool and fairly dark rooms.
As for the reproduction of the nymphea, it is usually carried out by segments of rhizomes (rhizomes intended for dividing should be equipped with buds), however, sometimes they resort to the seed method (in some cases, the seeds are pre-germinated in warm water).
All kinds of ailments affect the nymphaea extremely rarely, but from pests this beauty can sometimes be attacked by aphids.
