Nymphaea pubescens
White water lily, water nymph, night lotus, water lily: unlike most water lilies, which open in the sunlight, this tropical species unfurls its large white blossoms at dusk and keeps them open all night—hence its nickname, night lotus. A rare spectacle for anyone with a pond.
Characteristics:
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Large white flowers: up to 15 cm in diameter, immaculate white, from June to September.
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Floating foliage: broad, round leaves that cover the surface and shade the water.
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Dual use: garden pond or large aquarium, where it adds elegance and vitality.
Precautions:
- Tropical species: young plants must be protected from frost during their first winter. In an outdoor pond in a cold climate, frost-free overwintering is necessary.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: a bright location, preferably in full sun—without light, there will be no flowering.
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Soil: heavy, finely sifted garden soil, without potting soil or compost, which would cloud the water and cause it to turn green. Cover with a thin layer of gravel to keep the substrate in place.
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Method: sow in deep pots, then immerse them in a pond or container with the pots only 1 or 2 cm below the surface, at 20–25 °C. Cold aquatic stratification (keeping the seeds in cool water) improves germination. Gradually lower the pots as the leaves develop.
Planting advice:
- Transplant as soon as the first floating leaves appear, into slotted baskets, lowering them in stages until they reach their final depth of 30–50 cm.
Care advice:
- Remove yellowing leaves to prevent them from polluting the pond water.
- Place it away from any waterfall or water jet: water lilies dislike agitated water on their foliage.
Beneficial companions:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its floating leaves shade the water, limit algae growth, and maintain a cooler temperature: they directly contribute to the balance of the pond.
- They provide dragonflies with a resting platform and offer shelter to amphibians and fry.
- Its nocturnal flowers attract specific pollinators, particularly beetles that spend the night enclosed within the corolla.
Uses:
- Garden ponds, ornamental pools, and large heated aquariums.
Symbolism:
Like all water lilies, it symbolizes purity and elevation: rooted in the mud, it opens at the surface in perfect whiteness.
Harvesting your own seeds:
After flowering, the fruit ripens underwater and then releases seeds surrounded by an air-filled coating that makes them float before they sink. Collect them from the surface and store them in water, never dry: they lose their germination capacity when they dry out. See storing your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to reseed, year after year, with seeds that truly belong to them.
Create a peaceful aquatic haven and enjoy flowers that open as night falls.
