Peak Bloom Time: Hardy water lilies May though October. Tropical water lilies July through August. Amazon water lily July through August. Sacred lotus late June to mid-July – sporadic bloom through September.
Following the rains of spring, the St. Louis summer encourages vibrant blooms and verdant foliage throughout the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden. If you brave the heat, you will be rewarded when you catch sight of plants like the water lily and the lotus, which outsmart the summer droughts – by growing in the water!
Plants referred to as water lilies are members of two different families, the Nymphaeaceae and the Menyanthaceae. Lotuses, often mistakenly grouped with the water lilies, belong in their own family, Nelumbonaceae. All three families are discussed here as they are often confused.
The true water lilies belong to the family Nymphaeaceae. They are closely related to magnolias, as can be seen by close examination of the similar appearance of the flowers. Both plant families are of very ancient origin. Genera found growing in the Garden include Nymphaea (water lilies), Nuphar (yellow pond lily), and Victoria (Amazon water lily).
The genus Nymphaea includes about 40 temperate and tropical species. The Garden displays a few species, such as the African native Nymphaea caerulea, in the East Swift Pool. However, most plants grown are hybrids, specially selected to please and intrigue. In addition to stunning flowers, water lily leaves - or pads - present an interest all their own, with mottling or color that can both stand up to and complement the often scented and always mesmerizing flowers - or cups. The Garden is renowned for its Nymphaea collection, which was started in 1894 by head gardener James Gurney.
Our winter-hardy Nymphaea, such as Nymphaea 'Comanche,' brightens up the Dry Stream Bed with its apricot flowers that fade to bronze throughout the entire summer. They can overwinter in water gardens that are 18 or more inches deep.
The tropical waterlilies, displayed in the Garden’s many reflecting pools, most notably in the reflecting pools between the Climatron® and the Spink Pavilion, get their start early in spring, in a greenhouse filled with tanks that could just as easily house piranha or weird science experiments. Flowering doesn’t begin until late June and continues up to frost. These Climatron® pools feature several varieties, including the blue-flowered 'Bagdad,' 'Charles Thomas,' and 'Bob Trickett,' the yellow-flowered 'Carla's Sunshine,' which has heavily mottled pads, and the pink 'Castaliflora'. Several shades of red are provided by the varieties 'Emily Grant Hutchings,' which features amaranth red cups and brownish green pads, 'Evelyn Randig,' which boasts a magenta rose cup then star with mottled pads, and 'Frank Trelease,' with its dark crimson cups and dark bronze pads.
The Victoria water lilies, Victoria amazonica, are grown in the large circular Climatron® pool. These giant-padded plants flower from dusk until about noon each day through July and August, with each flower gradually changing color as it opens and closes over a period of 2-3 days before it fades. The Victoria water lilies are native to large rivers in South America. The tropical water lilies and Victoria lily will not over winter outdoors in the St. Louis area.
The family Menyanthaceae includes not only aquatic plants that are winter hardy in Missouri but also tender tropical plants. The Garden displays the winter hardy Nymphoides peltata, or yellow floating heart, in the water feature of the Woodland Garden. Seasonally, the tropical Nymphoides indica, or water snowflake, can be seen in the Swift pools in front of the Linnean House. This family is not closely related to the true water lilies; rather it is more closely related to the Aster family, Asteraceae.
The family Nelumbonaceae consists of only one genus, Nelumbo, and two species. The sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera is one of the most loved water plants in the Garden. It blooms in the Japanese Garden from July to September, with its peak the first two weeks of July. Not currently displayed in the Garden but also of note is the American lotus, Nelumbo lutea. It is native to Eastern North America and looks very similar to the sacred lotus, except that it produces yellow flowers.
While the summer sizzles here in St. Louis, gaze into our cool reflecting pools to see these fine floating plants. |
