Nymphaea pubescens
Nymphaea pubescens, the hairy water lily or pink water-lily, is a species of water lily.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
Nymphaea pubescens is an annual or perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic herb with erect, stoloniferous, tuberous, up to 8 cm long rhizomes bearing slim stolons. The petiolate, ovate, elliptic, suborbicular, orbicular, or sagittate leaves with a dentate margin are 15–40 cm long, and 12–35 cm wide. The abaxial leaf surface is pubescent.Generative characteristics
The flowers are quite large, about 15 cm in diameter when fully open. They tend to close during the daytime and open wide at night. Their color varies from white to pink, mauve or purple depending from the variety or hybrid.Taxonomy
It was published by Carl [Ludwig Willdenow] in 1799. It is placed in Nymphaea subg. Lotos.Etymology
The specific epithet pubescens means with soft short hairs.Distribution and habitat
This plant is common in shallow lakes and ponds throughout temperate and tropical Asia:Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Yunnan, Taiwan, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam,
Indonesia and Malaysia.
It is also found in northeastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The hairy water lily is found both as a cultivated plant as well as in the wild. It prefers non-acidic waters and it does not tolerate temperatures below 15 °C.