20 Pink Water Lily - Nymphaea capensis - Water Plant Seeds To Buy in South Africa + Get Free Seeds

This lovely aquatic plant with lovely deep-pink flowers is a clump forming perennial with thick, black, spongy, tuberous rhizomes anchored in the pond mud by spreading roots. The water lily does not have true stems, the leaves are on long petioles (leaf stalks) that arise directly from the rhizome. The leaves are large and flat, rounded or oval in shape with notched margins, up to 40 cm in diameter. The leaves show many interesting adaptations to their watery environment. The margins are slightly rolled inwards toward the uppermost side which helps keep the blades afloat. The underside of the leaf, which is continually wet, has a strong attraction to the water and this holds the leaf flat against the water. The veins act like a structural support for the leaves. The upper leaf surface is coated with a smooth waxy cuticle, which gives it the appearance of being leathery and shiny. This water-repellent waxy layer is of vital importance to the plant, not only to help prevent the leaf from sinking, but also to prevent the tiny stomatal pores, through which it breathes, from becoming clogged with dust. When water splashes onto the leaf surface, it forms rounded droplets that roll across the surface cleaning up the dust as they go. Clean dust free leaves are also better able to photosynthesise effectively.

Another problem facing aquatic plants is the supply of oxygen to their roots. Roots must constantly be supplied with oxygen to stay healthy and the water lily's roots are buried in poorly aerated pond mud and therefore cannot get oxygen the way normal plants do. It has overcome this difficulty by developing a system of large internal ducts throughout the leaves, petioles and roots which ferries the oxygen from the leaves to the roots.
The large, elegant flowers are held well above the water at the tip of a sturdy green stalk and appear almost constantly from spring until the end of summer. The sweetly fragrant flowers open in early to mid-morning and close completely in late afternoon and stay closed all night. The opening and closing mechanism of the flowers is controlled by the sepals. If they are removed, the flower loses the ability to close. A fully open flower measures 15-20 cm across and each flower lasts for about four days.

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