Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This aquatic plant grows in calm freshwater ponds across the globe. Its broad leaves contain thousands of tiny air pockets that allow it to float on the surface.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Nymphaeales

Family

Nymphaeaceae

Genus

Nymphaea