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| Water-Lilies: Past and Present |
Family, Genus, and Sections
Under Ranales, the family in which we are interested principally, is
the Nymphaeaceae, the Water-Lily Family. The varied genera which
spring from Nymphaeaceae include almost all the flowering aquatic
plants which have ever been called water-lily or lotus. From this point
on in the classification system, we no longer speak of all water flowers
as water-lilies.
One inferior genus of the family is called Nuphar, plants commonly
known as cow lilies, spatter docks, and yellow pond lilies. Another genus
is Victoria, the most regal and spectacular of all flowering aquatics. Another is Nelumbo, from which springs the lotus species.
We shall discuss all of the genera later. At the moment, let us consider the most colorful and varied of all genera in the Water-Lily
Family, the genus called Nymphaea. To it belong all of the true water-lilies.
Nymphaea are divided into two general sections, under which five
important subgenera are listed. The groupings are based largely on
structural differences in the blossoms and on habits of growth and
bloom. In this website we are not concerned with minute botanical differences, but blooming habits are important to us.
The first section, the Apocarpiae, includes the subgenera Anecphya
and Brachyceras. These are the tender or tropical water-lilies that bloom
in the daytime.
The second section, Syncarpiae, includes the other three subgenera, Castalia, Lotos, and HydrocaUis. The Castalia are the hardy
water-lilies. The other two are the tropical water-lilies that bloom at night.
Water-lilies that spring from the subgenus Lotos are not to be confused
with flowers of the genus Nelumbo, the basic form of which is the Hindu
or Sacred Lotus of India, the true lotus. The situation becomes even
more complex when a water-lily species called lotus (from which many
varieties have been obtained) is attributed to the subgenus Lotos. It
may help to think of the water-lily species called lotus, and of the varieties obtained from it, as lotuslike water-lilies.
Species and Varieties
From now on, when we speak of hardy water-lilies, we are referring
to the several species which branch out from the subgenus Castalia, and
of the varieties obtained by crossbreeding those species.
The tropical day-blooming water-lilies we discuss will be species and
varieties branching from the Anecphya and Brachyceras subgenera.
The tropical night-blooming water-lilies will be the species and varieties branching from the Lotos and HydrocaUis subgenera.
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