Probably, each of our compatriots had heard about water lilies. And some had a chance to see them in the wild. This is truly an unforgettable sight. Not catchy, but at the same time surprisingly refined, elegant flowers bloom on the water surface. And not everyone knows where the water lilies grow, considering because of this that in our country it is impossible to see this sophisticated plant.
External description
Of course, the most noticeable part is the flower. A water lily, depending on the variety, can have a diameter of 5 to 20 centimeters. It has almost no aroma, and thin, elongated petals are found in white, yellow, pink and other colors. The core is rich yellow, consists of many stamens. Moreover, in some species, the flower is located directly on the water, while in others it rises on the stem by 10-20 centimeters.
The leaves are deep green, rounded, with a deep notch on one side. Diameter ranges from 20 to 30 centimeters. However, they are green only outside. The inside is red-violet.
Rhizome grows strictly horizontally, not too deep into the soil of the reservoir, getting all the substances necessary for the development of the upper layers of the bottom. Usually highly branched.
Habitat
Now let's see in which countries water lilies grow. This list is quite extensive. This unusual flower is found almost all over the world - from equatorial countries in the south to Scandinavia in the north.
In our country, the most common is a white water lily, the photo of which is given in the article. Less colorful and catchy than its southern relatives, it is still a real decoration of many reservoirs.
Where does the white water lily grow in Russia? It is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of our country. You can see it most often in the European part, but it also grows in Western Siberia, the North Caucasus, and the Urals, with the exception of the northernmost regions. The plant grows in rivers with a weak current, lakes and ponds. Rarely found in water bodies with a depth of more than two meters.
Many readers may be interested in where a white water lily grows outside of Russia. The list of countries is not too large - primarily Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In other countries, in the wild, it practically does not occur.
Chemical composition
Most people regard water lilies exclusively as a beautiful plant. But it contains substances that make it a fairly valuable plant. Of course, the rhizome is of most interest. First of all, due to the large amount of nutrients. The amount of starch in it ranges from 20 to 50 percent. In addition, there is up to 20 percent sugar and up to 10 percent protein.
True, the highest concentration is achieved in the fall, when the plant is preparing for wintering, in order to survive until spring. When the water warms up enough, the rhizome gives new sprouts, actively consuming stored starch, so that the leaves quickly rise to the surface and bloom, getting enough sunlight.
Also, the rhizome contains quite a lot of tannins, due to which it does not rot in water for a long time, easily surviving until spring.
Household Application
It would be strange if people did not appreciate the beneficial properties of rhizomes. In many countries where the water lily grows in a swamp or in lakes, local people use this valuable plant.
For example, it is often grown as a cultivated plant - from one hectare you can collect a huge number of rhizomes - in dried form up to 2 tons, which is a very good indicator. First of all, rhizomes go to food. They can be fried or boiled. Drying, you can easily grind the roots, turning into high-quality and nutritious flour.
Over the years, they have been used to dye fabrics in brown and black. Finally, they serve as raw materials for the collection of Zdrenko - for a long time it was prescribed for patients with cancer.
Seeds do not disappear. Since they contain alkaloids and tannins, in some peoples they are used as a substitute for coffee.
How to grow a water lily
Many summer residents and owners of private houses, appreciating the sophistication and beauty of the water lilies, eventually become eager to grow it at home. And really, how can something emphasize their taste better than a small pond decorated with these sophisticated flowers? True, for this you need to know how water lilies grow in a pond - otherwise the idea is initially doomed to failure.
You can plant them at any warm time of the year - from the beginning of May to the end of September. For this, it is best to use rhizomes - they are sold in some specialized stores, but you can also carefully dig them out in any forest pond.
Planting depends on how deep the pond is, where you plan to grow it. If the depth is small - 30-70 centimeters, then it will surely freeze to the very bottom. In this case, it is best to plant the rhizome in a small plastic or metal container. It is filled with nutritious soil, and after planting, the soil is strengthened with large pebbles, so that it is less eroded. After that, the container gently sinks to the bottom.
If on your site there is a full-fledged pond one and a half to two meters deep, fueled by warm springs and not freezing even on the coldest winter days, then it would be better to plant the rhizome directly in the soil of the reservoir. If everything is done correctly, then in a few days the plant will harden and begin to grow actively until it reaches the surface of the reservoir.
The main thing is not to plant the plants too tightly - it is desirable that half the area of the reservoir is free. If the planting is too tight, the water lilies will not bloom, and admiration for flowers is the main goal of the gardener.
Wintering water lilies
When planting rhizomes in the soil of a deep reservoir, you should not worry. By autumn, the upper part of the plant will die off in order to come back to life in the spring and continue the life cycle.
But if you have chosen a small pond that will surely freeze to the bottom, you will have to make sure that the root does not die in winter. Fortunately, you have foreseen this - when a large part of the plant dies, you can calmly remove the container from the water along with the rhizome and take it to a cool place, for example, in a cellar or cellar, where the temperature does not drop below zero, but at the same time it does not rise so much so that the plant wakes up.
In the spring, when the water in the pond on the site warms up enough, you just need to lower the tank to the bottom to enjoy the beautiful and sophisticated plant all summer.
Types of Water Lilies
Of course, to list all kinds of water lilies existing in the world is simply impossible, for this I would have to write a multi-volume encyclopedia. In the wild, there are more than three dozen species. And the number of artificially bred varieties is measured in hundreds at all. But it is quite possible to mention several varieties:
- The white water lily has already been described above - it is Nymphaea alba.
- Of no less interest is the snow-white waterlily - Nymphaea Candida. It has larger petals, although their number is slightly smaller, which is why it does not look so exquisite and sophisticated.
- Water Lily - Nymphaea pygmaea. It is the smallest of its kind. Her flowers rarely reach a diameter of 2.5 centimeters! But they are pretty beautiful - have a rich red color. Prefers a shallow depth - usually less than half a meter.
- Nymphaea tuberosa, also known as tuberous water lily, grows to a depth of one meter. The flowers are quite large, with wide, pure white petals. The leaves are not dark green, like most species, but light, which looks very elegant in combination with a snow-white flower.
- But the fragrant water lily, she is Nymphaea odorata, a guest from North America. One of the few representatives of the species, with a rich, pronounced aroma. The flowers are large - up to 15 centimeters. The petals are numerous, with sharp tips. Also prefers not too great depth - 50-80 centimeters.
Water lily in mythology
Many peoples who are familiar with this amazing plant have many legends associated with water lilies. The Latin name - Nymphaea - the plant received from a water nymph. The beautiful girl fell in love with Hercules and suffered from love for him. When he said that he did not reciprocate, the unfortunate nymph could no longer remain herself, and the gods mercifully turned her into a beautiful flower that pleases everyone who sees him.
In our country, as in most Slavic ones, water lilies are directly related to mermaids (not to be confused with sea maidens with tails). It is these flowers that drowned girls prefer to use to decorate their hair.
Legends tell of water lilies in Scandinavia. Here, many believe that each flower has its own companion - a tiny elf. It is born when the water lily blooms for the first time. All the short Scandinavian summers, a tiny little man lives in a flower that blooms at sunset and closes when the sun sets over the horizon. Well, with the advent of cold weather, the flower dies, the elf, alas, also dies in order to be reborn again in the spring.
